


Green suits you

by Bounceberry88



Series: Wishin' and Hopin' [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, glhf dont @ me im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-08-16 19:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bounceberry88/pseuds/Bounceberry88
Summary: Genji Shimada has never been particularly happy with his life. Sure, he's always been rich, and loved, and important, but he's never really been happy. But things start to look up when he meets Jesse McCree, and the cowboy certainly has a wide variety of friends for Genji to meet...Lúcio hates everything. Okay, well, no, he doesn't. His life is actually pretty good right now, all things considered. But he still feels utterly alone, despite being surrounded by friends who love and cherish him. Lord knows Sombra justlovesit when he talks about his problems, and she always has solutions. But she can't just magic a boyfriend out of thin air, can she?





	1. Grass Green

**Author's Note:**

> you can def read this fic on its own, but for extra story and jesse's pov with him and hanzo (may clear up any confusion about timing, plus context for the shimada bros) feel free to check out [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14543619/chapters/33603771)
> 
> again, not necessary, but hey mchanzo right?

The name ‘Genji’ didn’t really mean much to many people. At least, not to many people in America. Back in Hanamura, though, everyone knew the Shimadas, and everyone knew the party-loving, brightly coloured, extremely enthusiastic youngest son of their clan. And it really was everyone.

A plus of being known by everyone - especially being known as a ‘rich little party loving extrovert’ (a real description Genji had gotten once) by everyone - was that it was easy to have a lot of friends. Unfortunately, all of those friends were left behind when Genji left Hanamura. He missed all of them with their nightly parties and fun loving attitudes, and the shops constantly catering to his needs, and the arcade where each game had his name next to the highest score, but Genji had peace in America. And no matter what, he didn’t miss his old lifestyle. Partying hard every night and sleeping or gaming all day was enjoyable, but everything in the background of his life - things that were only in the background because he forced them to be - were awful. The only members of Genji’s family that had cared about him were his brother and his father, and they were just plain unhappy all the time.

America was decidedly much better than Hanamura, and Genji enjoyed it here - the sounds, the people, the food, the sights…

But despite the better environment, Genji found he was lonely here. Contact with his old friends had started to dwindle after just a month away, and it seemed like he only had distant memories of the fun times he used to be so familiar with. He missed the warm sunshine that filtered through his blinds every morning. He missed the feeling of simply lying next to his koi carp pond, and listening to the trickle of the small waterfall as he gazed up at the gradually moving fluffy clouds in the sky. He missed the grass of the parks dappled with shadows from the overhanging sakura trees. He missed the buzzes and the songs and the clicking of buttons from the arcade, as well as the quiet upbeat tunes and the boiling pots in the ramen shop. It was all so nice back home, and despite how hard he tried, Genji had never been able to find the same contented familiarity here in America. Everything was different, and he disliked it greatly.

Despite the homesickness, Genji tried to enjoy all the new experiences of the new country. The processed food, and the rubbish in the streets, and the loud music downtown… Getting used to America’s different, less traditional - not to mention depressing, lonely, and definitely filthier - ways of doing things, had proven to be a difficult task.

Recently, Genji’s father had started to talk a lot about getting him and his brother a friend. Though, from the description he gave his sons, Genji thought they sounded more like a tour guide. They were going to be a person who could show Genji and his brother different places to visit around the city, and they were going to teach them how Americans did things differently compared to what the Shimadas were used to. They would also apparently criticize the way the brothers acted, and the ‘friend’ would tell Sojiro if they thought his sons weren’t trying hard enough to westernize themselves. To Genji that didn’t at all sound like what a friend would do, it was more along the lines of how a stuck up jerk acted, but whatever. Genji trusted his father, Sojiro had hopefully learned that his sons were very specific about the people they hung out with. Surely he’d at least pick someone tolerable for Genji and Hanzo to be around. 

“Brother, you need to get up!” The call from outside Genji’s door broke through the Shimada’s thoughts. Hanzo and Genji had always known english, and they’d spoken it a bit back in Hanamura, but they were both still getting used to using it in everyday life. If they were to be around an American for a majority of their time, they were meant to speak a lot of english. Their father had requested they substitute it for Japanese in the weeks leading up to what had been called ‘the day’. Genji didn’t really understand what was going to happen, but Sojiro had apparently found the person to be ‘friends’ with his sons, and there was something about kidnapping. Genji was told not to worry about it, so he didn’t.

“Yes, yes, I am awake.” Genji responded, putting down his phone. He frowned, barely resisting the urge to pick it up again and check for the tenth time if anyone had messaged him. He felt so lonely, not talking to his friends in Hanamura. Yes, he should have found new friends by now, but he had no idea how to. Back home he’d always just been introduced to the people he was supposed to be friendly towards, and they’d been there for him his entire life. They were expected to be friends with him, and he was expected to be friends with them. That was that. Genji had thought he would one day marry one of them, actually. He knew he’d never love any of them, but the clan would have arranged for them to be wed and have a family to continue the Shimada bloodline. Genji was glad he wouldn’t have to now, as he wasn’t even sure if any of those people had actually ever wanted to be friends with him, let alone marry him. Making new friends seemed impossible. Genji wasn’t in a public high school here, and he’d been homeschooled his whole life anyway. He’d always had his life laid out for him, and all he’d ever wanted was a say in his future, but now that he had choices to make, he was scared.

At least Genji could settle on what clothes to wear. He quite liked fashion, especially in such a different country to Japan. Hanzo still chose to wear traditional gowns and robes, which infuriated Genji to no end. Honestly, they were in a completely different environment now, and the way Hanzo dressed was so out of place. The way he acted was unusual too. Genji had gotten the hang of American manners and expectations rather quickly, but Hanzo seemed adamant with the idea he should look like some kind of crazy samurai. A green t-shirt and white jeans was good enough for Genji, and he sighed fondly at the thought that one day he could give his brother a proper makeover. But there wasn’t any motivation. Hanzo only did outlandish things if he thought he could gain something from it. There didn’t seem to be anything Genji could bribe his brother with. No prospect was quite good enough for the Shimada to look forward to, he wouldn’t change himself for something unless it was really important to him. Genji anticipated the day when something actually mattered to Hanzo with silent excitement.

Walking down the hallway, Genji briefly acknowledged the sound of his brother and father talking in the living room. If he understood correctly, the American who was going to help the Shimada brothers settle in would show up tonight or tomorrow. Genji had taken it upon himself to be the one to welcome the stranger with open arms, as he knew Hanzo wouldn’t like them, even if they were just as stuck up and posh as him. Part of that welcome was showing off how great Genji was at being an American. He could dress right, he was getting into western hobbies, and he chose to eat snacks unlike the ones in Japan. There were plenty of similarities between American and Japanese culture, but they were still very different at their cores. Genji thought he was doing quite well at hanging onto both lifestyles and values, which he was proud of.

“Genji. Join us.” His father’s voice stopped Genji in his tracks, pulling him away from the kitchen and to the living room.

“Yes, Father?” The youngest Shimada asked, not really interested in whatever boring conversation him and Hanzo were having. Genji wasn’t sure what to bake. He thought perhaps a cake, but that seemed rather grand and over the top. You didn’t bake a cake for a friend out of nowhere, and believe it or not, Genji did actually want to make a good impression on this person. He was trying to show off, of course, but he had to do it in a way that didn’t make him seem full of himself. Cupcakes would suit better than a cake. Or fudge, maybe? Perhaps cookies?

“Your brother and I have been talking. We’ve agreed to meet Jesse tonight, and we’ll talk to him about the situation.” Sojiro said, glancing at Hanzo. Genji blinked at the name, searching his memories for the connection. When he found none, he was only more confused.

“Jesse?” He asked, crossing his arms as he sat on the leather couch opposite his two family members. Hanzo grimaced at the name, but didn’t speak up, which worried Genji. A piece of paper was passed to Genji, and he read over it carefully.

“Jesse McCree. Former outlaw, currently a law abiding citizen who works in a pet shop. He’s around Hanzo’s age, and I think you would get along well with him.” His father explained, though Genji wasn’t really listening. A picture took his interest, of a young man with scruffy hazel hair, a goofy smile, a red bandanna tied loosely around his neck, and a leather cowboy hat haphazardly placed on his head. He looked extremely cliche, like a genuine cowboy. There were a few different pictures of him, one with two friends, a small pale girl with dark brown hair in a tank top and shorts, as well as a dark skinned rather tall girl who had black hair bedazzled with golden beads in a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. They looked like regular people, posing for a picture together in a park Genji visited once. It suddenly seemed insane, what Father was proposing. Another picture of Jesse had him with his arm around a smiling girl with mocha skin and half of her hair shaved off, with the remaining half dyed ombre from black to purple. This was a person. Jesse McCree, able to speak english and spanish fluently, working at a local pet store for one Ana Amari, the former war hero. He had previous gang affiliation, and had briefly been connected to Overwatch, though details are classified. Genji looked up at his Father.

“You want him to be my friend? This- This is ridiculous. Father, we can’t just push into his life and expect him to look after us! I am fine in America, I’m learning on my own- I swear I’ll make friends eventually, but I don’t want to- to kidnap him!” Genji exclaimed. The whole point of leaving Japan was so they could be normal, right? It wasn’t normal to just show up and take a person away so they’d be some silly guide. Hanzo didn’t look happy either, but he apparently didn’t mind enough to object to the plan.

“Calm down, Genji. I cannot say I look forward to being ‘friends’ with this man, but it is necessary if either of us have a chance at properly settling into real lives here.” Hanzo said quietly, cold voice somehow the flame to light Genji’s rage.

“No! I refuse to be apart of this! This is- This is-” Genji paused. He’d forgotten the word for it… When something was not right. The police… When it was against the… the… the law… Legal- “This is illegal!” He finished, glaring at the piece of paper as he tried to ignore how weak his sentence sounded because of the pause. His brother sighed, and Genji looked up to frown at him. Neither of them really wanted to make friends with this person. It would be easier just to stay without any friends at all. Genji had a tutor he was supposed to meet with every so often to do school work, but other than that he didn’t talk to anyone outside of Hanzo and their father. He missed having friends, but the people here were so different… Sojiro ignored the protests.

“It is not up for debate anymore, Genji. You can barely remember the right words to use here, how do you expect to fit in properly? You will be kind to Jesse, and you will let him help you.” He said firmly, his tone telling the teen his father was finished with the conversation. Genji sighed, blinking at the paper. Statistics and social media posts stared back at him, and he tried to find anything he had in common with the cowboy. The facts seemed so out of place. Jesse liked video games, apparently his mother died when he was very young, he had an obsession with smoothies, and his favourite colour would change every time you asked him. Interesting.

Something caught Genji’s attention, however. Among the strange facts and odd nicknames, all of which were probably copied from his Instagram and Twitter, there was one thing Genji was extremely fascinated by.

Sexuality: ‘try me’

Genji couldn’t help but smirk at that, all the cheeky smiles in the pictures fitting perfectly with the response. It occured to the Shimada that perhaps he could make a game out of all this. Looking up to grin at his father, Genji began thinking up his plan.

“Very well, then. I bet by the end of the week I shall be best friends with this Jesse." He stated, putting on a façade of calm. "Farewell, Father, Hanzo.” He said, getting up and going to the door. He stopped, glancing back at them for a few seconds. “Enjoy your kidnapping.”

With that, Genji left the room, wandering down the hallway to the kitchen. The Shimada knew for a fact that despite the countless girls the clan had tried to force Hanzo to like, his brother was about as straight as a circle. And Genji was the best at mind games. Whatever could go wrong? The adventure was just starting...


	2. Leaf Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of froggy boi

Smiling to himself, Lúcio sighed into the comfort of his duvet, holding bundles of fabric loosely in his hands. He loved afternoons like this, when he could just chill out and lie on his bed, relaxing. He was taking a ten minute break, having worked on his music for the past hour. Lúcio loved making tunes, but even that got tiring when you did it every day.

The smell of his lavender scented pillow - flowery and welcoming and sleep inducing and all things warm and cozy - was calming. Not to mention the soft fluffy blankets, or the warm rays of sunshine shooting through his window down to the floor.

Despite it all, Lúcio was hit with a pang of loneliness, reminding himself he had been stuck on his most recent song for the past three days. It was a lot harder to dedicate music to a special someone when you didn’t _have_ a special someone. Everyone needed to feel loved, but Lúcio had no-one to cuddle with, or tell secrets to, or flirt with. It annoyed him. Many people had asked Lúcio if he was dating his best friend Hana - or D.va, as she was known as online. The answer was always an immediate, very firm _no_ , but people still speculated. Fans always said they admired Lúcio’s musical talents, or they loved _this_ , or they thought something or other about _that_ , but despite the praise, the DJ still didn’t have a boyfriend. It was pretty irritating.

A familiar ping from his phone interrupted Lúcio’s thoughts. Sombra. She had texted him something about how Jesse was missing. Lúcio momentarily wondered how a raven could just disappear into thin air, before he realized Jesse was Sombra’s _brother _, not her pet. But really she treated them the same. No-one could blame Lúcio for getting confused, though, as he’d never met Jesse properly. According to Sombra it was a legitimate coincidence that they’d never had a chance to be introduced, somehow an actual thing of being in the wrong places and at the wrong times. Lúcio wasn’t sure if he believed that, but he’d probably meet Jesse one day anyway, so if someone was avoiding it, it was futile.__

Lúcio replied to the message, asking Sombra what had happened. Surprisingly, she immediately responded, despite her habit of leaving forever and a day before she answered anything. Lúcio frowned at the message, which explained that Jesse had gone out late last night but hadn’t come back and now he wasn’t answering any of her calls. Lúcio sat up, pulled from his sleepy late afternoon daze. That definitely seemed out of place for Jesse. Afterall, Sombra often talked about how her brother was always calling her down for dinner, and how he got up early whenever he had to go to work, and he never forgot special occasions. After a couple of seconds considering, Lúcio decided it was only fair that Jesse got a day off to be rebellious or whatever, even if it was out of the blue. The DJ sent his friend a message saying he was sure it’d be fine, and slowly got up to stretch.

After a few moments appreciating the clicking sounds of his previously tense joints, the Brazilian glanced over at his computer. He knew he should go back to his mixes, but he really had no motivation to do so. Shaking his head, Lúcio cracked his knuckles, then went over to his shelves.

Lúcio had such ridiculous books, most of them were joke presents for christmases and birthdays. ‘So you’re a Dipshit’, ‘Gay, much?’, and ‘Don’t ever fuckin’ move to Australia’ were his favourites, all from Jamison.

There was one shelf dedicated to little nick nacks the DJ had yet to find a place for, mostly gifts and cute toys and mini figures. Hana had gotten him a pink badge with her bunny logo on it, which rested on his board of pins. Lúcio liked pins and badges, they all represented something. He had a sugar skull one from the last Day of the Dead, a collection of beach themed ones from when he went to the aquarium, and a few little animal pins. And, unknown to everyone, there was a small rainbow striped heart pin hidden in a box of treasures - the location of which had thankfully not been discovered by Jamison, yet. Lúcio had started to understand the phrase ‘skeletons in the closet’ when he began his collection of things he’d one day want to give to a boyfriend… 

There were also a lot of pens and pencils on the same shelf as the pins, all organized neatly in rainbow order and safe in their cases underneath a few framed pictures. In the corner of Lúcio’s room was a basket of tech items; broken stereos, old headphones, and a few mice - as well as some tacky light up keyboards that could never be dimmed quite enough. He knew he should throw it all away, at least the broken stuff, but he would feel mean if he never even tried to find a proper use for them. Lúcio often found himself getting attached to inanimate objects, which he knew was a problem, but he didn’t even try to stop it anymore. If he was that lonely, so be it. He couldn’t count all the times Sombra had tried to help him, using her weird psychoanalyzing tricks and always knowing how to get into his head, but he refused to let her waste her time trying to fix how he acted. It wasn’t worth the trouble.

Shaking his head, Lúcio left his room, wandering down the quiet hallway to the living room. He turned on the tv, picking up the controller. Hana was online. Of course she was. She’d probably been playing for hours. Jamie wasn’t online, and neither was Sombra.

Starting up the game, Lúcio took a few seconds to appreciate the brightly coloured menu, before he joined Hana’s game, spectating her boredly. Watching her from the sidelines only got more annoying everytime he did it. Hana was probably streaming, and someone would no doubt say some bullshit about how Lúcio was gonna queue with her because they were dating. It annoyed him to no end that people believed Hana and him were in a relationship. Even if Lúcio did like girls, Hana was far from his type. She could get so frustrating at times, when she’d call him names or whine about how her life sucked. Lúcio never told her when she was annoying, so she never changed. He knew everything would be easier for him if he was just honest with himself and the people around him, but Lúcio wasn't going to make trouble. If he had to suffer because he didn’t want to hurt his friends’ feelings, that was fine.

Lúcio preferred PC games, - he’d even prefer to be in MS Paint right now - but he was getting rusty in his console skills. So after Hana’s game, he joined her group, and they were both put straight into another match.

As Lúcio waited for the game load properly, his attention was caught by the sound of the door closing downstairs, and heavy footsteps. Lúcio currently lived in a house technically by himself. The top half wasn’t linked to the bottom internally with stairs or anything, so you had to go directly from the street up the concrete steps to the little dark green side door Lúcio greeted every day. To get to the real front door - and the bottom half of the house, obviously - there was a regular old garden connected to the street, with a striking orange gate Jamison and Lúcio had painted one summer. The DJ stayed by himself, but he was legally living with Mako and Jamison. Lúcio relied on the older Australian for groceries and money, which he mostly got in exchange for getting himself to school and showing up for Friday Night dinners.

Lúcio’s family back in Brazil had sent him off to America to go to high school and college, and he’d ended up with Mako, who was also the legal guardian for Jamie. It was confusing to most people, but Lúcio always explained that Mako was basically his and Jamie’s adoptive father figure, and the man was legally obligated to care for them until they were eighteen.

Lúcio wasn’t sure what he’d be doing when he grew up, but he definitely wanted to follow his passion for music, and maybe become a real professional DJ, with official albums and even tours. Or he could work with movie or gaming companies, who would always need music for backing tracks and themes and what not. Lúcio didn’t have many talents, but he believed he would be able to do something for the world one day. Whether he changed lives with his music, or helped Hana with her fame, or even just made it through University, Lúcio was certain he’d manage something worth his time. Eventually. Though, his main concern right now was talking to his admittedly annoying best friend.

“Sup, loser!” Hana said cheerfully, her voice perfectly transmitted because of her horrendously expensive microphone. “Where’ve you been? Seriously, it’s been like three days since you last played! I missed you, Lú.” She added. Lúcio shook his head, something he’d never do if he was speaking with Hana in person.

“Oh, really, now? I’m sure you saw me just yesterday, though. We hung out in town, got some food... Remember?” He said sarcastically, struggling to keep from snapping at her. This was getting old.

“Yeah, Hana saw you, but D.va hasn’t seen you online for ages!” Hana replied, giggling. Lúcio muted his mic momentarily, sighing with frustration. He didn’t want to play this game. At least, not with ‘D.va’, the annoying persona Hana put on for her streams. He hated this, and it was sickening enough just to act cheerful. Turning his microphone back on, he made a forced but genuine sounding laugh.

“Yeah, that’s true. Has Rat been on?” He asked, changing the subject. Another game playing the exact same character so he could pocket Hana and not get yelled at by toxic teammates who insisted he stick to the one character they thought he was good at. His skin pricked, he was getting increasingly irritated by it all.

“Nope! He’s been MIA, like you. I honestly expected better from you two!” Hana said, obviously joking but still annoying Lúcio even more.

“Terribly sorry, your highness!” The brazilian kept his tone light, but proceeded to mute his mic again and let out a frustrated noise that was a mix between a hiss and a hushed scream. Taking deep breaths, Lúcio focused on the game, not listening to whatever Hana said next. Probably something about how disappointed she was in her subjects, and how she would have to take away their rank or some bullshit. He didn’t care anymore.

After the game, Lúcio started to pay attention to Hana again, who was angry because she died four times, instead of the usual maximum of three. He didn’t comment, knowing there was no point in saying that it was okay for her to die since she was protecting him, or that the enemy was totally a hacker, because both answers would result in her getting angry at him. Staying silent, Lúcio didn’t really listen as she ranted. He glared darkly around the living room, at the empty sofas and the glass coffee table with a fake potted plant on it. He liked being by himself, he’d never last with Mako or Jamison around him all the time, but he still felt lonely.

Blinking as his phone buzzed, Lúcio checked his messages. Sombra had sent a text, saying her brother had come back home, and he had a crazy story about two guys who he made friends with. Lúcio told her he was happy Jesse was back, still ignoring Hana. The Mexican replied that she was suspicious of it all, and she knew her brother wasn’t telling her something. Lúcio frowned. She knew Jesse was lying to her. She spent enough time around him, and she cared about him enough that she was able to sense when he wasn’t being truthful. Why couldn’t Lúcio have that bond with someone? Sombra had friends just like Lúcio, but she also had a brother to care about her. Someone who she knew really well, and who knew her really well too. Sure, she didn’t have a romantic partner, but she didn’t seem to want one. It wasn’t fair that she got people to care about her so much, while Lúcio was stuck with no siblings and no boyfriend.

Lúcio blinked at his TV. They were still in menus, so he could just leave if he wanted to.

He wanted to.

Unmuting his mic, the Brazilian said a mumble about having to go for dinner, before exiting the game. He was done. This was stupid, and it was only making him unhappy. He picked up his phone and wandered back down to his room, reading through the texts Sombra had sent in a flurry. A description of the brothers that Jesse had met according to what he thought about them, and a photo of three people, two of which Lúcio didn’t recognize. Two olive-skinned brown-eyed teens posed next to Sombra’s brother, smiling. The taller one didn’t interest Lúcio, but his attention was caught by the one he presumed was the younger brother. Bright green hair, pearly white wide grin and sparkling eyes stared back at Lúcio, entrancing him. He was adorable. Lúcio couldn’t help but smile at the cheerful teen, who contrasted his brother crazily. The older guy had long black hair, a genuine but not quite as bright smile, and the same chocolate eyes, though his seemed dull compared to his brother’s.

Lúcio told Sombra they seemed cool, and told her not to worry about Jesse. He stared at the picture a few moments longer, before his phone buzzed loudly, causing him to drop it. As it landed on the carpet with a muffled thump, he sighed, mind still caught on the adorable smile of the green haired boy. Lúcio wringed his hands for a few seconds before crouching down to pick his phone up. Checking his other messages, he groaned at the sight of Hana’s name. Not bothering to look at what she had said, he marked it as read and collapsed onto his bed, checking what Sombra had replied. ‘I think Jesse likes the older one’ wasn’t the message Lúcio had expected, but he guessed Sombra just knew how her brother felt about people. ‘Cool’ was his reply, and he rolled over to look out the window. The sun was slowly setting, and the distant clouds made him think it’d rain tomorrow, or Thursday. He lay there, trying to calm down from the traumatization he’d undergone in just ten minutes, staring at the sky outside.

But then Lúcio’s phone started ringing, his alarm bringing him back to the present. He listened to the music for a few moments, it was a tune he’d made himself, with nature noises he’d sampled one saturday afternoon. The alarm was set for six thirty every night, to remind Lúcio to eat dinner. Mako had insisted he have it, because ‘if you don’t eat, you die, and then Jamie doesn’t have a best friend anymore’. Lúcio tried to remember what was in the fridge, not really having paid attention to food recently. Vegetables, maybe some pasta… There were some fruit and nut bars in a cupboard somewhere, he could maybe eat one of those.

Lúcio hated how time just kept going, even when he was trying to slow it all down. As seconds went by, he’d get hungrier, and thirstier, and he’d probably need to have a shower too, which was annoying. And he’d only get older as well, meaning more responsibilities would be placed on his shoulders. Lúcio wasn’t ready to grow up. He didn’t want to be in charge of money, or rent, or groceries. But it was inevitable.

Propping himself up on his elbows, the DJ was drawn back to the photo Sombra had sent. He wouldn’t mind meeting that boy, Genji. _Well, he never would if he starved to death first, would he?_ The voice in Lúcio’s head sounded suspiciously like Hana’s, but he didn’t question it.

Getting up, the Brazilian went through to the small kitchen he barely used. Mako had eventually trusted him enough to cook his own meals, so Lúcio wouldn’t have a problem making some actual dinner. Being able to take care of yourself was an attractive feature, right…? Sombra would know…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;pppppp


	3. Neon Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladies n gents, the moment - well, scene, - you've been wait for

Genji had to admit, Jesse was a much better friend than he had expected. He was funny, and he treated Genji like a regular person, which was quite different to how his old friends had. Jesse’s other friends were very welcoming towards Genji and Hanzo, who had been invited to a group chat with them right away. There was Fareeha, who seemed very kind and smart, and Lena, who enjoyed sending them memes and talking about how gay she was, and Jesse’s younger sister Sombra, who had also been very kind to the Shimada Brothers.

Genji had gotten very curious about the backstories of all these people, as they were all very different from one another, so he eventually asked where everyone was from. Jesse and Sombra were apparently both adopted, and not related to Gabriel or each other by blood, but Genji couldn’t really say that shocked him. Lena was from England, she moved to America with her family a while back, but then they had returned home without her a year or so ago. Ana Amari used to be in Overwatch, but she left a while back, obviously for her daughter, yet there was still the question about Fareeha’s father…

Genji was quite young compared to the rest of them, with Lena, Jesse, Hanzo and Fareeha young adults, and Sombra having recently turned seventeen, he felt a bit like the child of the group. Regardless, they seemed to like him, and he was glad they accepted him and Hanzo so quickly.

Now it was dark out, the street lights bright against the pitch black night as Genji stared out the window. It was still raining. A lot. The kitchen light was on, and he was nodding his head to the beat of electro swing that Lena had recommended. The Shimada was rolling out dough for the biscuits he had chosen to make at 2am. There had been an emergency meeting in the group chat about half an hour ago, because of the storm. Genji had been awake just because of the loud thunder outside, but the concerns Jesse’s friends were having gave him a proper reason to not just put headphones on and go to sleep. Apparently thunderstorms were really traumatic for McCree, which wasn’t something the young Shimada had expected, but after it was explained to him it made sense. Of course if thunderstorms brought back bad memories you’d start to hate them. Hell, Genji hated violins. All those hours of practice... She really wanted her son to get better, and she ended up dead before he could ever make her proud-

A voice pulled Genji from his thoughts. He looked around for the person, confused when he didn’t find anyone, before he realized autoplay had picked a new song for him to listen to. It wasn’t really a song, just a guy beatboxing about ‘chilling’. Picking up his phone, Genji stared at the screen, confused, but still listening. After it was finished, the Shimada went to look at more of the music made by the guy. Thankfully he didn’t just beatbox and rap, but he composed real music too, mostly classical mixed with electric and ‘lofi’. The tunes were nice, and he had a playlist…

Getting back to his baking, Genji wondered what else he should make. The ‘squad fam gang’ as Jesse’s friends called themselves - ironically, Genji hoped - had agreed that everyone but Fareeha would be going to hang out and relax after the storm tomorrow morning. Genji regretted that they wouldn’t be going shopping, as he’d seen some nice outfits in a magazine this evening, but if it was to make Jesse feel better he was fine with the plan. Plus, he could just order the outfits online.

Hanzo had also agreed to wear a Onesie - which Genji had suspicions about the reasons behind - so that was pretty worth it just so Genji could make fun of him. Lena had decided to set up a blanket land of some sorts, which Hanzo was getting supplies for, Genji was in charge of snacks, and Sombra was… doing… something? It hadn’t really been clarified… 

After a while, a voice came from down the corridor, a real voice this time. Hanzo was talking to someone. Genji paused his music, listening carefully to the hushed murmurs. His brother was on the phone, talking in a soothing tone. After a few moments, Genji heard the name ‘Jesse’, and he smiled to himself. Unbelievable. Hanzo wasn’t being completely heartless for once. That was cute, that he and Jesse were able to confide in each other. Genji briefly wondered if perhaps he needed a person like that. A crush… Maybe later. Right now, baking was more important.

~~~~

Genji chuckled. He liked winning. He especially liked winning games where people got furious if they lost, like in monopoly. R1ch K1ds had proven the best team, even with Lena suggesting ridiculous property choices, which honestly wasn’t surprising after such a loss with her previous team. No wonder they went bankrupt, you don’t buy everything you land on. There had been a bit of arguing over the game, but eventually Sombra had just started playing video games, pulling away all of the attention, and R1ch K1ds deemed themselves the winners.

Genji watched the game carefully, silently desperate for a turn. He liked shooting games, because he could always boast about his aim, and he was brilliant at trolling toxic teammates. It was a shame he didn’t get nicer teams, because Genji was pretty decent at most video games. He could probably carry a team if he really tried, but where was the fun in that? Then the enemies would just get more difficult, which meant less surprise when he obliterated them. Sombra mumbled quietly every so often, talking to her team. Genji found the usernames amusing, ‘D.va’, ‘Tr4sh_M0use’, and ‘Frog_boi’ were very unique.

“Hey Genji, you want a turn?” Sombra’s voice interrupted the Shimada’s thoughts, and she was already taking off her headset.

“Yes-!” Genji exclaimed, though he quickly stopped himself and cleared his throat. “Yes, please, I’d like to play.” He said politely, trying to contain his enthusiasm. Sombra chuckled, and passed him the controller, before placing the headset over his ears. Genji was pulled into the world of the game, his teammates immediately talking to him.

“Annyeong! Who’s this? Sombra said she’s gonna let a friend play? Which friend?” A girl asked, her tone friendly but noticeably guarded. D.va seemed like a familiar name, but Genji couldn’t place it. Before he could reply, another person spoke up.

“Hana, maybe they don’t wanna use voice chat. Not everyone enjoys talking to strangers.” The voice immediately struck Genji. He recognized that voice. The guy- L- Lúcio? Was that the name of the person who made the beatboxing? They had a frog logo, and this person was a ‘frog boi’, so…

“Greetings.” Genji said, a bit lost for words. D.va mumbled something about how Lúcio had been wrong, then began talking about the enemies waiting outside the door, seeming to accept it at that. The other person, Trash Mouse, was silent, probably muted.

“Hey there! I’m Lúcio, this is Hana and Jamie.” Said the newly identified frog boi, cheerful tone lighting a flame in Genji’s chest. “What’s your name?” The musician asked. Genji couldn’t help smiling.

“Genji.” He replied. There was silence for a few moments, which confused the Shimada, before Lúcio spoke again.

“Nice to meet you, Genji. I think Sombra’s told me about you before. You and your brother are friends with Jesse?” He asked. Genji was surprised at that, he hadn’t expected Sombra to really care to tell her friends about Genji and Hanzo.

“Y-yes. You wouldn’t happen to make music tracks, would you?” He asked Lúcio, nervousness pricking at him. He didn’t understand what it was, maybe the fact he already knew who Lúcio was, or the friendly way he spoke, but Genji felt like he had a connection of sorts with the DJ.

“Oh, yeah I do! Good to know people actually listen to that stuff. You like any of ‘em?” As the voiceover for the game counted down, Genji wasn’t really paying a lot of attention to what was happening, on autopilot as he followed his team through whatever map it was they were playing.

“Yes, they’re quite nice. I wish I had the talents to make music.” Genji answered, glancing over at Sombra, who thankfully didn’t seem to be listening to what Genji was saying as she watched the game.

“Well, it’s awesome that you like them!” The genuine delight in Lúcio’s voice made Genji blush, he was surprised the boy was so happy about the Shimada’s opinion. “I think you could make music. It isn’t too difficult when you get the hang of it, you know… Oh hey, nice combo! Have you played this game before?” Genji felt like he could get lost in the sound of Lúcio’s voice, the cheerfulness and bright attitude a bit overwhelming, but he loved it.

“Yes, once or twice… I’ve mostly just watched other people play it, so I kinda just picked up the tricks over time. And the mechanics are similar to other games.” He said, grinning sheepishly. Something caught Genji’s attention, and he blinked, not sure if he had heard someone speaking or if it was in the game. Lúcio started talking again, but the headset was pulled off of Genji, and he whined in protest. Sombra listened to whatever Lúcio was saying, and Genji frowned as she smiled. What had he said? That was meant for Genji to hear, why had she stolen that privilege from him? She said something about a ninja, then gave Genji back the headset. Pulling it back over his ears, Genji listened. Lúcio was stuttering, and D.va was laughing hysterically.

“What did I miss?” Genji asked, confused. He needed to know what Lúcio had said. Hana stopped laughing briefly, still wheezing as she tried to tell him.

“He- He said that- You’re really-” She broke off, spluttering.

“Don’t tell him! Please- It wasn’t- I-” Lúcio couldn’t get out what he was trying to say, sounding panicked. Before Genji could ask about it, an unfamiliar voice cut in.

“Don’t worry, mate, he just said he thinks you’re really good for someone who hasn’t played much, but he sneezed in the middle of it.” Genji didn’t understand who it was at first, but he quickly noticed the username. Tr4sh_M0use had finally decide to speak. Frowning, Genji started moving his character again. A sneeze? What was so funny about that?

“Wha-?” Hana sounded confused as well, but Lúcio cleared his throat loudly.

“Yes, that’s what happened. Let’s get back to this game, yeah?” He asked, voice relieved but stern. Hana didn’t argue further, apparently settled with what Jamie had said. Genji was left in the dark as to what had happened, but he didn’t believe Mouse was telling the truth. No-one got that flustered over a sneeze. He was desperate to know what it was… Forcing a light hearted chuckle, Genji pretended to believe it.

“A sneeze, hmm? Cute. I hear if you say the word ‘pineapple’ it’s supposed to stop.” Genji said cheerily. He was so far finding Lúcio adorable, with his enthusiasm and friendly chit-chat. Genji didn’t like that the brazilian was uncomfortable now, though that made him more suspicious.

“Oh- Uh, yeah, I’ve heard something about that before, I should’ve done that.” Lúcio replied. A bit of the tension seemed to fade, much to Genji’s relief.

After a little while, Genji forgot about it. He eventually stopped playing when Lúcio and Jamison had to leave. Sombra gave the controller to Hanzo, while Genji lay on the ground boredly. He couldn’t keep his mind off of Lúcio, even just thinking about the adorable DJ made his heart feel warm and fuzzy.

He was interrupted when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He’d been invited to a group chat by Sombra. He joined it, not sure what to expect. Immediately he was forced into an argument between Hana and Jamison. They were talking about a scarf colour from what Genji could gather. He typed a hello, but wasn’t really acknowledged by the two teens as they continued to send furious messages about how Hana thought fruity was the best orange and yellow colour palette, while Jamison preferred fiery. Genji personally thought autumn was nicer, but he wasn’t going to get involved in their fight.

After a few minutes of boredly watching the conversation go by, Genji noticed Lúcio come online, then immediately send the Shimada a private message. He smiled to himself, secretly freaking out that Lúcio had actually wanted to talk to him, and checked the message. Lúcio had asked about other games that Genji played, and the Shimada started listing them. He almost squealed with delight when Lúcio responded to say he loved a lot of those games too. Lena sat next to Genji, but he didn’t notice her glancing over his shoulder at the messages…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof watch out im dropping fluff everywhere


	4. Chemical Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh fricc

Lúcio was burning up. Not just because he had accidentally turned his heater up to full while trying to put it on a timer, but because he was blushing so much. Every message he got just made him freak out a little more, and now it didn’t even matter who it was from. Genji had sent him something earlier, a casual little text, a regular sentence anyone could have said, but it was making Lúcio’s heart a drum and his thoughts a total mess.

‘lol, ur adorable :)’

The Brazilian had known Genji for weeks, they were friends. He was being dumb - it was dumb for him to get so taken aback by a silly little message like that. Hell, he’d responded casually too. He hadn’t gotten defensive, or been really weird and awkward. He’d sent Genji a normal reply to a nice compliment, because he was a normal person talking to his friend. Lúcio didn’t even remember what elicited such a comment in the first place. It was just a normal conversation.

_So why exactly was every fibre of his being shrieking in fear and confusion?_

Lúcio knew he liked Genji. He liked the Shimada a lot, and he’d been told as much by everyone who saw them together. But he couldn’t handle this. It was terrifying. What had Genji meant by that message? Was it flirty? He’d put a smiley face, but not a winky face, so did that mean it was just platonic?

Lúcio could barely breathe, his rib cage had apparently turned into lead and he’d forgotten whatever it was he was meant to do to inhale oxygen. He’d talked about the message to Jamie and Hana and Sombra, and they’d all been encouraging, but he was still doubting it all. Had Lúcio maybe made it up? Was this a dream? How could he trust it?

The DJ lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling in agony as he struggled to sort it out in his head. Just a message. It probably didn’t mean anything. He should get over it. But the idea that maybe it was more than just a friendly compliment kept making a tornado of panic and hope swirl in Lúcio’s chest. More than just friendly meant they could be more than just friends. _Dating_. Dating Genji. _Genji_. The super sweet, super incredible, super cute, super adorable - did he mention _cute and adorable?_ \- Genji Shimada. He could _kiss_ Genji. Lúcio found himself blushing wildly at the thought, and he quickly stood up, pacing around his room. His last conversation with Genji had ended when the Shimada had to go talk to his brother. Two minutes ago. Two minutes and forty eight seconds, to be exact. Forty nine… Fifty…

Lúcio shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts racing through his mind. He was obsessing. This wasn’t healthy, to be so entranced with one person. To stare at him whenever they hung out, to always laugh at his jokes, to follow all his social media accounts… No, really, it was literally _all_ of them. Lúcio thought that first picture from Sombra was cute, but he’d been completely shaken when he saw the early morning selfies Genji seemed to post everywhere. Lazy grin, loose tank top, and that goddamn _hair_. The DJ had been very happy to appreciate the cute daily quiff hairstyle Genji had whenever they hung out, but nothing could have prepared him for the Shimada’s hair without any product - tousled and messy, but charmingly adorable.

Lúcio had started talking to the Shimada everyday. It was now a habit to send Genji a good morning text, and he knew that was something couples did, but the pit of doubt in his stomach forced him to try convince himself it was all just platonic.

The Brazilian had to admit, though, holding on to that faith was difficult when he sat on one of the fancy leather couches in Genji’s living room, alone with the Shimada while Hanzo was with Sombra’s brother and Genji’s father was somewhere ‘classified’. Genji had been right next to Lúcio, _nuzzling up to him_ , while he lazily gripped a bowl of popcorn. He was incredibly casual about it, and Lúcio had to try desperately to actually look at the movie they were meant to be watching, instead of at the adorable, sleepy mess beside him who insisted he wasn’t tired even when Lúcio asked about the plot of the movie and was met with silence. But _God_ , if the DJ could just let his hopes die and accept Genji wouldn’t feel the same, everything might be a whole lot easier.

Nothing was allowed to be easy for Lúcio.

‘back, soz that took ages’ was the newest message when the Brazilian checked his phone for the billionth time. Somehow, he had also come to appreciate the way Genji typed, the spelling errors and shortening of even the simplest words kind of cute. Lúcio would be lying if he said it wasn’t adorable when Genji made silly faces in real life too - butterflies filled his stomach when the Shimada winked at him, even if it was just as a joke - and Lúcio laughed each time a Genji Shimada Patented Kitten Sneeze™ interrupted a conversation.

‘Lol no problem’ Lúcio replied, ignoring the flare of panic in his chest. The DJ always silently freaked out when he sent a message to Genji, terrified he’d said the wrong thing, but so far he was pretty sure he sounded like a completely normal person. Hopefully.

‘r u doin anythin this arvo?’ Genji asked, capturing Lúcio’s interest. After a few seconds, the Brazilian decided to do something bold with his next response.

‘Hanging out with you?’ He bit his lip, worried, but Genji responded almost immediately, the message confirming Lúcio’s hopes. Then he suggested the DJ set up a movie, followed by a ‘lmao cya soon’. Lúcio smiled at the message, standing up to stretch, before he fully took in what the Shimada had just said.

Genji told him to set up a movie. So Genji was coming to his house. Something he’d only done once before. And he was coming over to spend time with Lúcio, in the living room, and the kitchen maybe, and possibly even his _bedroom_. And the Brazilian hadn’t tidied anything for a week. Or two.

Springing into action, Lúcio rushed around his room, desperately trying to clear his desk of all the random bits and pieces he’d left scattered on top after his last bout of musical inspiration, and he quickly picked up the few clothes he’d abandoned on the floor last night in his exhausted rush to have a shower and go to bed as soon as possible. _Oh god oh no oh shoot oh lord_

After packing away everything he could, Lúcio was going to race down the hall, but he caught sight of himself in the mirror. With his hair undone and in boxers and a tank top, Lúcio looked like he’d just tumbled out of bed. He had, really. But unlike Genji, the DJ didn’t look adorable after just waking up, he looked like a lazy slob. Well, that’s what he thought. No-one had ever really seen him in the early morning - though now it was almost noon - so he just assumed he looked terrible.

But anyway, regardless of who thought what, Lúcio still wasn’t properly dressed, and he scrambled to find some real shorts and a t-shirt that he hadn’t worn in the past four days. He felt messy and gross for being so unorganized, and he scolded himself, all the while hastily putting more washing into his basket.

After a few minutes that couldn’t be over fast enough, Lúcio managed to put on proper clothes and tie his hair back, and he was sprinting down the corridor, desperate to make sure his living room hadn’t had a silent glitterbomb in the middle of the night - a prank by Jamison that still haunted him to this day.

When the DJ confirmed his rational understanding that _of course no-one glitterbombed his living room, why the hell would they?_ He rushed back down the hallway, sliding on the wooden tiles in his white and green socks. The only thoughts going through his head were _messy, Genji, laundry, Genji, food, movie, Genji_

The DJ skidded into the laundry room, only to turn straight back around and sprint to his bedroom, picking up his clothes basket in a rush. He only slowed the pace of his mad hurry when he realized he was dropping everything on the floor as he sped through the house, and proceeded to dump what he’d salvaged in the washing machine, before he flurried back to gather what had been left behind.

Okay, his clothes were out of the way and he could wash them this afternoon. Lúcio took a deep, calming breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds while he gathered his thoughts. What did he have to do next?

Oh, right. Food. This would be a challenge.

In the kitchen, a quick check of his cupboards reminded Lúcio that _yes, he hadn’t stocked up on groceries in about five days, so of course there was nothing to eat_ , and he sighed. Not even any muesli bars. The DJ really needed to work on eating, it seemed like he barely kept track of his meals anymore. Mako would scold him if he knew - hell, Jamie would go mental. What would Genji think, though? Lúcio shivered at the realization he valued the Shimada’s opinion more than anyone else’s. He reminded himself he’d only known Genji for a few weeks, but he couldn’t shake the silent wish to know what went on in his mind - to get a glimpse of the fascinating thoughts Lúcio could only hope to be a part of one day. How could the DJ ever fit into Genji’s life? The Shimada was so rich and adorable and beautiful and funny and kind and fashionable and everything _perfect_ , while Lúcio was just- well, average, really.

But hey, if Genji, say, suddenly decided to propose, well - don’t tell him Lúcio already decided this, but - the answer would be yes. God yes. There wasn’t a doubt in Lúcio’s mind that he would agree to marry Genji with a drop of a hat. Who wouldn’t? And getting married also meant a wedding. The color scheme would be green, of course, that was their colour, and they’d have such stylish suits - Genji would be in charge, and yes, they might end up a bit _out there_ but they’d at least be fancy - and Lúcio could make the music, and it’d all be set up for spring, one of the beautiful days when birds chirped and the cool, calming breeze makes everything feel so _free_ and _gorgeous_ and it’d all be so perfect and amazing and they’d say their vows and then Genji would _kiss_ him and even though the thought was insane now Lúcio wouldn’t skip a beat because without a doubt before you get married you kiss them and _oh God why was Lúcio blushing-_

It took a few seconds, but the DJ managed to pull himself from his day-dreaming haze of wishing and hoping and praying and just _needing_ to be with Genji, and he shook his head. Kissing Genji. _Marrying_ Genji. Why did his mind just have to make up such ridiculous scenes? Marriage took _years_ , and he’d only know the Shimada for a few _weeks_.

But he’d still say yes. Not that there’d ever be a proposal. Genji wasn’t dating anyone, sure, but he’d never settle for Lúcio. To put it simply, they were just two incredibly different people. Too different. Seriously, Lúcio was nothing _like_ Genji. The DJ didn’t keep track of his health - which he was pretty sure was dwindling every second - he had no idea what he should wear, like, ever, he was utterly lost when it came to social interaction with anyone at all, and he could never come close to having the same carefree attitude Genji had.

Plus, Lúcio was awful at baking. The Brazilian had seen Genji in the kitchen with his own eyes, and the Shimada was like a ninja. He just kneaded dough and stirred bowls and cut vegetables like it was nothing at all, each move precise and clean, and he made it look so _easy_. Like he had magic in his fingers. _Oh shoot no hold up-_

Lúcio shook his head violently, trying to get the thoughts to just _go away_. He didn’t need this right now. His cru- his best _friend_ \- was supposed to be coming over, but Lúcio had no food to eat while watching the movie he had yet to pick. Actually, that was another problem. Genji had just said to set up a movie, but _which one_? Obviously romance films were out of the question because friends didn’t watch romantic movies together, that would just be weird because they’re _friends_ , and _friends_ don’t do romantic things together, that’s weird.

Lúcio had considered a superhero movie, but they were all linked together nowadays so you had to watch all of them if you wanted to understand just one - at least that was what Hana said - and besides, he wasn’t really interested in any action today.

Well okay that was a lie but it was a different kind of action and _oh God no wait-_

The DJ paused, silently cursing at himself. Right. Okay. His head really was in the gutter today, wasn’t it? _Anyway-_

Lúcio did consider watching something Ghibli - the scenes never got less beautiful and the stories were always marvellous - but even a good movie couldn’t save him the embarrassment of being so horrendously unprepared for Genji to come over. He kept trying to think for a few seconds, but eventually decided he should just give up.

Lúcio let out another deep sigh and turned on his heels, trailing back to his room so he could wallow in his defeat. He knew Genji couldn’t care less if the Brazilian had food to give him or not, and the Shimada probably didn’t care what he wore since they weren’t going out in public or anything, but Lúcio still felt bad. He wanted to impress Genji, but there he was, looking like his regular old self and without any breakfast in his stomach.

Collapsing on his bed, Lúcio stared around his room for a few seconds and breathed in the soothing smell of his pillow. He lay there for a few minutes, feeling exhausted, before he remembered he actually needed to cancel the plans.

Lúcio was going to send a text to Genji, telling him not to show up because he was sick or something - though it was really only so he could drown in his own tears - but his doorbell echoed from down the hallway. Oh god. Lúcio glanced at the time - sure this wasn’t really happening - but it had been a whole half an hour since Genji had told him to set up a movie. And he hadn’t even done that, the one thing asked of him.

With one last look in the mirror, Lúcio left his room again, slowly walking down the corridor to his front door. He was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya yeet lets go
> 
> kudos and comments always appreciated


	5. Emerald Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lmao gl

Taking a deep breath, Genji carefully put down the plastic bags, glancing at the time on his phone. He carefully closed a few of his apps, and turned off notifications, before ringing the doorbell. The Shimada bit his lip in anticipation, hoping he wasn’t going to be turned away immediately. He hadn’t exactly planned this whole movie thing, after all, - the only thing to warn of his visit was a quick text before he was out the door, and he hadn’t checked his messages since - but he hoped Lúcio wouldn’t mind too much.

After a few heartbeats, the door opened, and a very nervous looking Brazilian blinked up at Genji. The Shimada took a few seconds to appreciate the sheer adorableness in front of him, Lúcio dressed in a simple green t-shirt and some blue shorts - an outfit that despite its simplicity was pulled off quite well - and then he grinned.

“Greetings.” He said, his heart flickering when Lúcio smiled back at him. 

“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t really get round to setting up that movie.” The DJ said, stepping aside while Genji picked up the plastic bags and wandered inside. He quite liked Lúcio’s house. Well, it wasn’t _just_ Lúcio’s, really, but the part he lived in wasn’t properly connected to Jamison’s, so whatever. It was quite cozy, and it was very stylized, with each room given the perfect touch of _Lúcio_ that Genji had decided everything needed if it was to be good enough for him. He quite simply adored Lúcio, and he adored Lúcio’s house.

“That is fine. It just means we can pick one together, doesn’t it?” He replied, turning to smile at the other boy. He loved the way Lúcio’s eyes lit up sometimes, like sparkling diamonds shining just for Genji.

“Oh, yeah, I guess. Uh- did you have anything in particular you wanted to watch?” The DJ asked, stepping past the Shimada to lead him into the living room. Genji, of course, hadn’t _actually_ thought about watching a movie - it was more just the idea of going to Lúcio’s house to fawn over the DJ in the most inconspicuous way possible that had caught his interest, and a movie was the perfect excuse - but, now, he really did have to pick something.

“Uh, well…” Genji bit his lip again, trying to think of something as Lúcio turned on the TV and crouched down to open the cupboard underneath. Movies, movies… Genji mostly only knew Japanese films, so his mind was a bit blank. What did Americans like to watch? Action movies? Lúcio was too cute to be into fighting and guns, really. Comedies? Maybe? Genji was lost, and he panicked as Lúcio turned to look at him, but the DJ was grinning, and holding up a very familiar DVD.

“Spirited Away?” He asked, blinking. Genji stared at him, a little lost in the adorable blush tinting the DJ’s cheeks, but after a few seconds, Lúcio’s face fell, and Genji blinked back into reality as the Brazilian hurriedly started talking.

“I- I didn’t mean that because- because you’re Japanese and that’s where studio Ghibli comes from and all that, I just actually really like the movie and I know some people say it’s overrated but I guess I’m just a sucker for whimsical things and if you don’t want to watch it that’s fine we could maybe watch Totoro or Ponyo maybe I don’t know I’m sorry-” Genji cut him off by stepping forward, placing his hands on the shorter teen’s shoulders. God, it would be so easy to just lean down and _kiss him already_ , but the terrified look on Lúcio’s face didn’t exactly scream _I like you please invade my personal space I want to be kissed_ , so Genji chose instead to give him a reassuring smile.

“No, you picked a good movie. I didn’t think you meant anything other than you wanted to watch something nice.” He murmured. The way Lúcio just completely relaxed at his words surprised the Shimada, but Genji would be lying if he said his heart didn’t flutter at the dazzling smile he got in return.

“O-Okay. Right. Yeah, I’m sorry for freaking out, I just…” Lúcio glanced away, and Genji stepped back, forcing himself to let go of the DJ. Barely a millisecond passed and he wanted the closeness back, but he couldn’t do a thing about it now. There’d be more excuses to invade the space later, anyway - and if there wasn’t, Genji would make some.

“Very well then, shall we set up some snacks and then watch to our hearts’ content?” He asked, grinning. Lúcio blinked, something flashing in his eyes for a few seconds. Was that _terror_? The DJ looked away again, frowning.

“Uh, do we need to? I mean, to set up snacks? I- I don’t really have anything good in the pantry right now, s-sorry…” Lúcio trailed off as he noticed Genji walk over to pick up the plastic bags he’d left at the doorway, and the Brazilian’s face blossomed into a smile of relief.

“I came prepared!” Genji said, holding up the bags proudly. There was a pause, both of the boys anticipating the next move, before Lúcio lunged forward, trying to grab at the bags. Genji was quicker though, and he suspended the bags up out of the DJ’s reach.

“Nope! You don’t get to steal all of these delicious treats! I worked hard on them, they’re meant to be _shared._ ” He said, grinning down at Lúcio. The smaller teen stood on his tiptoes, pushing his hand against Genji’s chest as he tried to reach up for the plastic bags, but Genji was still tall enough to keep them from him. The Shimada knew he was blushing, but Lúcio didn’t seem to notice.

“Aw c’mon, Genji! I’m vertically challenged, stop using it against me!” The Brazilian whined, still focusing solely on the plastic bags held out of his grasp. Genji giggled and tried to take a step backwards, but he managed to trip, unable to keep both himself and Lúcio balanced as they fell onto the couch, laughing as the plastic bags dropped to the floor.

Genji loved the goofy moments like this one, when they could just make fun of the situation with each other. Plus, it was always nice to hear Lúcio laugh. The sweet, adorable giggles could probably cure cancer, and Genji wanted to listen to them forever.

After a few minutes of being caught up in laughing, Genji managed to return to his senses. Oh. Oh right.

Genji was lying on the couch. With Lúcio on top of him. God he was so cute. And he didn’t seem fazed by what just happened.

Until it hit him too.

Within heartbeats the DJ scrambled up, flushed. Genji glanced away, sitting up properly. That was… _Awkward? Embarrassing? Uncomfortable?_ Those words didn’t really describe it properly at all, as it had been far from unpleasant. Genji briefly considered a few other words, but his cheeks heated up and he decided they needed to be locked away, choosing to settle with _interesting_. That was an _interesting_ situation.

There was a pause which seemed to last forever, Genji not daring to even look at Lúcio. He knew he was blushing. He knew Lúcio was blushing. And yes, he wanted to see that, but if he made eye contact his feelings might start pouring to the floor.

Okay, here was the thing. Genji really liked Lúcio. Too much, really. He liked Lúcio’s eyes, and his smile, and all his adorable mannerisms. Genji liked everything about the DJ. Apart from how skinny he looked. That concerned the Shimada. But other than that, Lúcio was gorgeous, and Genji just wished he could tell him sometimes. Like now. But he was afraid of the consequences. It sounded so easy in theory, just say it and that’d be that, but it felt like he’d be sharing a secret he can tell to literally anyone _but_ Lúcio.

Yes, Genji wore his heart on his sleeve, and it was a good quality to have, but it also meant his feelings were open for the world to criticize. But he couldn’t help it. He shared his opinion, and most people appreciated that. Yet he couldn’t tell Lúcio how he felt. The DJ might get freaked out and start hating him. Genji didn’t want that. He loved their friendship, and for it to just dissipate would break him.

The Shimada looked up when he heard the quiet rustling of the plastic bags. He blinked over at Lúcio, and couldn’t help but grin at the awed expression in the Brazilian’s face.

“Like them?” He asked tentatively, hoping they could recover from the awkward silence. Lúcio nodded enthusiastically, looking lost for words as he pulled out one of the cupcakes. Genji had slaved over the treats he brought with him, and it was all to impress Lúcio. Russian fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and little green cupcakes. And, judging by Lúcio’s smile, the baking was a success. Genji hadn’t been planning this since he woke up this morning, of course not.

“These are really cute.” Lúcio murmured, beginning to unwrap the cupcake. Genji chuckled, and was even more relieved when the DJ sat down next to him, taking a bite of the cupcake. The conversation had recovered, and Lúcio liked the food. Genji thanked whatever God decided to give him a break, and scooted over take a cookie out of the container he’d carefully packed them into.

“I’m glad you like them. I worry about what you eat.” Genji tried to sound casual, but he could hear the worry seeping into his own voice. Judging by the frown, Lúcio heard it too.

“I eat enough.” The DJ said, not meeting Genji’s gaze. The Shimada sighed quietly, knowing the conversation wouldn’t go anywhere. He just wanted to help, but it seemed like Lúcio was adamant on being independent with _everything_. Genji had barely talked to Sombra at all and she’d taken mere seconds to use some weird psychiatry tricks to get into his head. How was it that Lúcio avoided it? Why stop people from helping? It didn’t make sense to Genji.

“Well, if we have the snacks set up, how about we get around to that movie?” The Shimada asked, changing the subject. Lúcio brightened, and Genji’s heart skipped a beat at the gleam of enthusiasm shining in the DJ’s eyes. Lúcio had given him just a look and Genji could barely breathe. Damn this boy.

“Right, yeah! I haven’t watched this in ages, I forgot most of the plot.” The Brazilian said, getting up to put the DVD in. Genji took the moment to properly arrange the containers of baking on the table, and scooch closer to where Lúcio was going to sit back down.

Genji was a cuddly person, especially when it came to watching movies. He liked nuzzling up with practically anyone, it was just a bonus that today it got to be Lúcio. A very, very nice bonus.

The Shimada blinked when the lighting dimmed, and he noticed that Lúcio had gone to close the curtains while the movie flickered alive. Genji let out a soft sigh, blinking at the DJ as he pressed a few buttons on the remote, before he was sitting back down next to Genji, and the film was starting.

The green haired boy glanced at Lúcio every now and then. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around the smaller teen, or lean against him, or just do _something_ , but he was too much of a chicken. Lúcio just had a way of making him so nervous, and it frustrated Genji to no end. But it was also incredibly fascinating. No-one had ever been able to get to Genji. He just brushed everything off. But with Lúcio, it was different. The Shimada wanted to impress him. Every second mattered. And it was exciting. Genji’s heart was racing constantly, his gaze was always drawn back to Lúcio, and he wanted nothing more than to just lean over and hug him, or kiss him, or _anything at all_. That urge was completely new, and it was fun. Terrifying, but fun.

Genji forced his gaze back to the TV, and he tried to focus on the film. He lasted a total of twenty three seconds, before his attention was captured again. But this time, it was reasonable. Lúcio had rested his head against Genji’s shoulder, still looking at the film, but snuggled against the Shimada comfortably. Genji didn’t dare move, simply trying to keep his heart rate and breathing under control, but he struggled immensely. Lúcio didn’t say anything. He just rested there, calm.

It was another seven minutes before there was any change. Genji noticed Lúcio completely relax against him, and his breathing slowed. The Shimada risked a glance at the DJ, breath hitching at the sight.

Lúcio leaned entirely on Genji, he’d fallen asleep and his face was illuminated by the soft light from the television. He clung to Genji’s arm, nuzzling his face against the Shimada’s shoulder. He looked incredible. And all he was doing was _sleeping_. Sleeping against Genji. Adorably.

The movie was forgotten by now, but it continued to play quietly in the background as Genji gazed at Lúcio. He just flat out _stared_. Why not? The Brazilian was _asleep_. He looked like a kitten. That moment was the gobstopper of eye candy, and it was delicious.

Eventually, a couple more minutes later, Genji very carefully tried lifting his arm up. Lúcio made a soft murmur of complaint, gripping more tightly at the Shimada. A few gentle tugs later, however, Genji managed to free himself, tentatively waiting for something to happen. But, unexpectedly, having nothing in the way anymore meant Lúcio could properly lean into Genji, cuddling into his side. Oh Jesus.

This was what Genji wanted to do for the rest of his life. Just stay there, the blissfully asleep DJ snuggling into him for all eternity. That sounded pretty heavenly.

The Shimada sighed quietly, turning back to the TV, but not really focusing on the movie. Right. His emotions were kind of jumbled, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out he most definitely had feelings for Lúcio. Strong feelings. Feelings that he’d never had for a friend before, which made him think that Lúcio shouldn’t be just a friend. They were good feelings, but they were bad. And Genji would have to act on those feelings one day. It was inevitable. He’d had never been able to keep his emotions hidden away. That did mean he’d probably end up doing something incredibly stupid, but no matter what, he had to do _something_. And now, he kind of _wanted_ to do something. Even if it ended badly, Genji decided he would at _least_ tell Lúcio how he felt. He didn’t know when, or where, but something would come up, and he’d doom himself with some dumb dare from Hana, or a bet with Lena, or maybe he’d wake up one morning and think he was still dreaming when he wasn’t and all his feelings would tumble out in a phone call. No matter the specifics, it _was_ going to happen.

And Genji couldn’t really say he minded, honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eheheheheheheh


	6. Mint Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch out for angst, but also fun fluff

Lúcio grinned around at the games, biting his lip. He loved the arcade, it had been ages since he was last here. Ever since Hana started streaming she didn’t bother will public gaming spaces like this. Hana had always been a bit of a god here, actually, bumping up all the high scores on every game to a horrendously huge number - with the name ‘D.va’ glowing brightly next to them. Whenever she showed up people would chat about local legend Hana Song, her gaming prowess unmatched by all. She used to be everything. Emphasis on _used to._ Hana’s a faded memory now, a forgotten legend whose name is only known by the fact her scores are still somewhere near the top. That’s just it, though. She’s not first anymore. Genji is on top now. He’s #1. And Lúcio’s not complaining.

“Are you sure you would not like a try? The games are fun, by the way. They’re not just for bragging rights.” Genji had finished his game, smiling at his name now above Hana’s, the number next to it only barely higher than her score, but still just enough. Lúcio blushed when he was talked to, he hadn’t been focusing on the game at all…

“Oh, uh, I know. I used to play these all the time. Hana’s the one super into gaming though, I don’t mind if you keep playing...” Lúcio trailed off when Genji pushed himself away from the machine, gesturing for the Brazilian to take his place. The DJ grinned slightly, stepping forward as Genji bent down to slip more tokens into the slot. A couple games couldn’t hurt, right?

As the arcade machine started up again, seeing the bright character moving with each tap of the buttons instantly hitting Lúcio with a wave of nostalgia, he didn’t notice Genji standing right next to him until the Shimada placed a hand on his forearm. Lúcio jumped, glancing over at the boy, but Genji didn’t appear to notice his flinch, eyes focused on the screen.

Lúcio was hit with deja vu, and it confused him for a few seconds, before he identified the memory itching his conscience. Hana used to stand next to him when he played, constantly egging him on and telling him which keys to press. She squealed and clapped whenever he got the combo right, and she cheered at each victory screen.

She complained when Lúcio didn’t listen to her. She scowled when he pressed the buttons in the wrong order. She shoved him aside to get the final blows.

“Lúcio? Are you listening to me?” Genji’s voice cut through the DJ’s thoughts, and he blinked, focusing on the Shimada once again.

“Are you okay?” Genji asked, gentle tone soothing Lúcio. The Brazilian blinked slowly again, gathering his thoughts, and he realized his character died.

“Uh, yeah, sorry- It’s been a while since I’ve played this game, I guess I’ll need to relearn it.” He replied, chuckling awkwardly. Genji frowned at him, and Lúcio quickly averted his gaze, staring at the Game Over screen intensely.

After a minute that seemed to stretch for decades, Genji bent down to slot more tokens into the machine, and the DJ breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t look back at the Shimada as he stood up though, knowing he was being fixed with a disbelieving gaze.

“I was not concerned about the game.” Genji murmured, and Lúcio was unable to be sure what emotion was in his voice. He stayed silent.

~~

Eventually conversation returned to normal. Of course it did, Lúcio was great at that game, and it would’ve been rude for Genji to just ignore his win. But after that, it was the Shimada who played the games. Lúcio was only realizing it now, but he didn’t really like the arcade. It was gaming territory, and Hana had claimed it ages ago. She’d owned that place ever since she showed up, and for Lúcio, it was still hers. It had been the first place she and Lúcio and Jamie hung out outside of school. For Lúcio, Hana would always be associated with the arcade. And he didn’t want to think about Hana.

Genji, though - Genji was loving it. Lúcio could see he relished every single win, and he punched his name into the high scores with vigor. The arcade was heaven for Genji. And, really, Lúcio didn’t mind being stuck there for two more hours if it meant he got to watch the Shimada, and laugh with him. It was nice.

After Genji had played quite literally every single game in the arcade, even ones he’d played before - ‘They’re different machines! The high scores aren’t universal, I have do them all!’ - the two headed off, going to the smoothie place their friend group had claimed as their own. Lúcio suspected it was not in fact only ‘owned’ by them, as Sombra said she knew this place because she went with her brother and his friends, but it was nice to think of it as theirs. They knew every flavour of drink, and what each tasted like paired with any other - yes, Jamison had downed all of them, and his grimaces didn’t stop Lúcio and Hana from doing the same on a dare - and they knew which places were best to sit.

They normally chose a seat right by the window so Hana could say she’d been in sunlight and Jamie could watch the cars go by, but today with it just being Genji and Lúcio the DJ went over to a booth in the corner, watching as Genji ordered for them. Berries, berries, berries - Lúcio was beginning to feel healthy. Actually, he’d decided to start keeping track of when he ate - mostly because Genji reminded him, but it was kind of nice to know he was taking care of himself. And it got easier to sleep once Lúcio had a full stomach and didn’t need to fret over anything. Mako had commented that it was nice to see the Brazilian so happy. Lúcio had smiled.

“Here you are, berry cascade, just as requested!” Genji said brightly, sitting down across from Lúcio. The DJ blinked out of his thoughts, smiling and saying thank you as he pulled the drink close. He took a moment to assess what Genji had gotten himself, blinking at the drink swirled with honey coloured sauce.

“Gosh, that looks even more sugary than I remember.” Lúcio commented, taking a sip of his smoothie. Genji chuckled, nodding enthusiastically.

“Caramel and butterscotch milkshake! Sounds insane, actually delicious! I feel like they just took sundae flavours and turned them into drinks.” He replied, stirring the straw through his drink. The Shimada paused, eyes becoming serious as he fixed Lúcio with a concerned gaze.

“Hey, about before- Are you sure you’re alright? In the arcade, you only played one game, and when you did you looked like you’d seen a ghost.” He said, worry painting his features. Lúcio froze, words caught in his throat. What was he supposed to say? ‘Yeah it’s fine I was just reminded of how much I hate my best friend and can’t talk to her because she has no idea I get upset about the things she does and I don’t wanna tell her because then she’ll be offended and I can’t handle hurting people so I stay silent’? This was a smoothie place. Lúcio wasn’t going to let his heart fall to the floor. Hopefully.

Genji eyed him expectantly, but when the DJ didn’t - couldn’t - reply, he sighed.

“You don’t have to tell me, it’s okay. But I just- I just worry. If you’re hurting you don’t have to hide it- I- I want to know. I want to help.” The Shimada’s eyes shone with solemn sincerity, and Lúcio could barely stop himself from spilling the truth right then and there. Instead, he nodded slowly, staying silent. Genji seemed to relax, even though he hadn’t actually gotten any answers.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell me anything, I could talk about things that are bothering me?” He suggested, brightening. Lúcio paused, pondering it. He wouldn’t owe Genji if he did, right? Ideally not, but the Shimada might decide it was only fair, and Lúcio could be forced to share…

“What do you want in return?” The DJ asked tentatively, taking another sip of his drink. So many berries… Genji laughed at Lúcio’s question.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean- Lúcio, I don’t want you to feel forced into talking to me! All I need is for you to listen, and- and- I just think you should know my worries, because I trust you, and there are some things I’d like to get off my chest.” He said, grinning brightly. Lúcio paused again, before he smiled.

“Alright then, if you want to rant about how annoying everything is, I’m here to listen.” He said, leaning forward and taking another sip from the straw. Genji giggled, shaking his head.

“I’m not ranting, I was going to tell you stuff that actually makes me upset!” He whined, feigning offense. Lúcio raised an eyebrow, and the Shimada laughed again.

“Fine, alright, perhaps ranting would be healthier…” He decided. Lúcio giggled, blinking at him expectantly, and the Shimada gave it a few seconds of thought, before he snapped his fingers with an idea. “Gosh, okay, so I just have to tell you what Hanzo’s doing! He talks to Jesse all the time and they hang out without me now and sure that leaves me plenty of time to hang out with you and Jamie and Hana but really they don’t seem to invite me to anything anymore! I mean seriously can they be like _less_ obvious about how they feel wait no maybe actually they should be more because neither of them can even seem to fathom the idea that they both like each other and it’s just like-” Lúcio couldn’t help but sigh happily as Genji really got into complaining, barely pausing to breathe.

Genji was adorable when he babbled. And when he was angry. And when he was happy. And when he was sad. The Shimada was just always adorable, really, and Lúcio enjoyed every second of being with him, watching him being so adorable and cute and hilarious just all the time- It was like he didn’t know how to _not_ be charming. It was kind of annoying though, that it was so hard to stay mad at Genji. He was just so _cute._

Lúcio wished he could tell him. He wished for a lot of things to do with Genji, actually, but that was one of the more prominent ones. Since that time they watched Spirited Away, they had just been spending more time together, and Lúcio relished every second. He couldn’t help it, it was just so inexplicably nice to be around Genji. Like every day- no, hour- minute- _second-_ was so much brighter and better and more _wonderful_ just because he was spending it with Genji. Lúcio wouldn’t trade being with the Shimada for the world… Actually, he should probably listen to what Genji was saying, huh?

“-and I just honestly don’t get it! They stare at each other, they go everywhere together, they blush at any hint of a compliment, they make fun of each other, they have dumb arguments over best flavours and movies but yet they’re terrified of upsetting the other- it’s so painfully obvious and yet they’re so nervous around each other all the time! They genuinely think there’s no possibility the other feels the same way and I just- I wish they’d hurry up and confess so I can stop cringing at how fucking _adorable_ they are! Can I like, put them in a room and not let them out until they kiss?” Genji finally stopped to breathe heavily, and Lúcio stared at him for a moment or two.

“Well, you could, but that’s not cliché enough.” He stated, taking another sip from his smoothie. Genji chuckled at that, tension draining from his shoulders.

“Yes, you may have a point there. Actually, perhaps I could set up something extra movie-like? Then they’d never escape fate!” He exclaimed, eyes sparkling with amusement. Lúcio giggled, shaking his head.

“I don’t think it counts as fate if you forced it upon them. Sure, it’s destined to happen, but if you hurry it along you’re messing with that destiny.” He argued, giving the Shimada a doubtful look. Genji pouted, crossing his arms.

“I’ll change destiny as much as I like.” He sneered, though there wasn’t any heat to his words. Picking up his milkshake, the Shimada put it to his lips and squinted at Lúcio. The DJ bit his lip to stop himself from smiling, taking a second to school his expression before glaring back at the Shimada.

“Do it, you won’t.” He said challengingly. Genji tilted his head back, and Lúcio watched, kind of shocked, as the drink disappeared in seconds. Gulp, gulp, gulp, gone.

There was silence as the Shimada put down the cup and wiped his mouth with a napkin, exhaling slowly. He looked back up at Lúcio and the Brazilian blinked, trying to recover.

“That was at least 700 millilitres.” He stated, glancing at the now empty milkshake cup.

“I know.” Genji replied.

“It had like five scoops of ice-cream in it.” Lúcio added.

“Don’t forget the caramel and butterscotch sauce. I asked for double, too.” The Shimada was enjoying this way too much. Lúcio shook his head.

“Why did you do that?” He mumbled, taking another sip of his own drink. A berry smoothie seemed like not enough now, not after that. Or maybe it was too much?

“It tastes good? I thought you’d be impressed? I wanted to change destiny?” Genji suggested, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Lúcio rolled his eyes.

“Yes, of course. _Now_ , instead of being destined to go home and make fun of your brother, _he’s_ destined to make fun of _you_ while you throw up because you drank like three cups of milkshake in three seconds.” He snapped, but he couldn’t help grinning. Genji chuckled, shaking his head.

“Worth it.” He stated with another shrug. Lúcio sighed, pretending to be annoyed.

“You’re insane.” He murmured, picking up his smoothie to properly drink it, pushing the straw aside. Genji laughed again.

“And you love it!” He defended, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

He wasn’t wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu fluffy


	7. Forest Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh

‘Oh my god I hate my friends.’

Well, that wasn’t a message Genji was expecting at 4:30 in the afternoon, especially not from Lúcio, but it certainly made lying on his bed and listening to music not quite as important.

‘wat happend?’ He sent back, rolling over while he paused the playlist. Getting out of bed, the Shimada yawned, then blinked as his phone buzzed again. He immediately noted the message was incredibly long, and with a sigh he went over to his desk, collapsing in the chair to read what he’d been sent. Lord, this boy would be the death of him.

‘So we were in the park then Hanzo was there and Jesse showed up and Jamie yelled at them and called them gay and he didn’t say it in a mean way or anything he was kinda just stating a fact but like they were embarrassed and then they left and then Hana and Jamie started making fun of me and I told Hana to shut up and she was super shocked and then I left and now she and Jamie are trying to message me but idk what to say and I just wish they’d leave me alone :((((‘

Genji assessed the message, reading it a couple times over, before he sighed. He tried to think of what to reply, but he was blanking. Of course, he _wanted_ to ask about his brother, and what exactly Jamison had said, but it sounded like Lúcio might be panicking. With a sharp inhale, Genji pressed call, biting his lip. It rang once.

“Genji.” If there was one thing the Shimada had to hear for the rest of his life, it would be that beautiful word, made so incredible only because of the person who was saying it.

“Lúcio” Genji replied, keeping his voice gentle. There was silence, then the DJ sighed, and Genji could hear the tension draining away.

“What do I do? He’s going to figure out he can just knock on my door eventually.” Lúcio murmured, and Genji suppressed a chuckle. Leave it to Jamison to forget he lives in the same house as someone…

“You don’t have to do anything, but I think you should talk to him - and Hana too - before tomorrow. Explain things properly. This isn’t out of the blue, you and I both know that, but they don’t. Last they checked, everything was fine. When you hide how you feel, bad things happen, Lúcio.” Genji berated, twirling in his chair. The Shimada didn’t understand why the DJ found it so difficult to just talk to people, but he knew it really was a problem for him.

“I’m sorry.” Lúcio whispered, and Genji jolted up, turning subconsciously before he remembered he wasn’t talking to the Brazilian in person.

“No no no! You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t mean it that way, I was just trying to say- Lord, I’d never want you to force yourself to share your feelings. God no.” Genji frowned, gripping his phone tightly. When the Brazilian didn’t reply, he spoke again.

“I just think you should be more honest with them. I know you want to protect their feelings, but you can’t keep hiding things. You have a right to get upset, Lúcio. Don’t forget you’re important too.” The Shimada murmured, silently cursing himself for being so bad at putting his thoughts into words. There was another pause, the Shimada biting his lip nervously, before Lúcio breathed out shakily.

“I-I can’t lose them.” He mumbled, his voice breaking. Genji’s eyes widened at the realization the DJ was crying.

“You won’t. I promise you. Lúcio, they’re your _friends_. They won’t just abandon you if you have a fight, that’s not how it works. I know what it’s like to have fake friends, but the three of you have strong, _real_ friendship. You and Jamie are like brothers, he loves and depends on you and he’s not going to stop. And- And Hana, you’ve had to deal with all of her bullshit ever since you met her, but you stay because you _care_. When she needs you, you’re always going to be there. If she can’t do the same for you, she doesn’t deserve you.” Genji’s voice was firm, and he didn’t realize how furiously he was glaring at his door. When the Shimada stopped to really think about what he’d just said, it hit him.

He didn’t deserve Lúcio. This boy was crying because he’d told his friend to shut up. He was having a breakdown because there was a possibility he’d offended someone he cared about. He was sobbing because he’d stood up for himself.

Genji insisted Hana was too bossy. Genji agreed that Jamison was annoying. Genji encouraged Lúcio to be his own person. Genji defended him whenever there was an argument. Genji had done this to him.

He didn’t know it was so important. He didn’t know anyone would get hurt. He pushed his own ideals onto Lúcio, and now the DJ was having a meltdown.

“But _I_ don’t deserve _her_.” Lúcio breathed, his voice so quiet but so heartbreaking. A million words raced through Genji’s mind, but he couldn’t say a single one. He just sat there, his mind screaming for him to tell Lúcio he deserved the world and the moon and the stars themselves, but nothing escaped his lips. He was speechless.

“Genji? I- I’m sorry, I should- I should go-” Lúcio began stuttering, and it made Genji’s chest ache.

“No! Stay- I’m sorry, I just-” The Shimada paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “You deserve a lot more than you think, Lúcio. At least in my eyes.” He murmured, praying he hadn’t messed it up.

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity, but the Shimada could faintly hear Lúcio breathing, slowly calming down. When the Brazilian spoke, his voice was less shaky, and he didn’t stutter his words.

“Should I still go to the fair tomorrow?” He asked, sniffing slightly. Genji blinked, he’d forgotten about that. He’d made a bet with Hanzo so his older brother would finally ask Jesse out. Hanzo had agreed, on the condition that Genji also ask out his crush. The crush that just gave him a scapegoat.

He could just tell the DJ not to go, and then he’d never have to confess, and nothing would have to change. His and Lúcio’s friendship wouldn’t be compromised. The risk wouldn’t be taken. No bad could come from it if it never happened in the first place… No good could come, either.

Granted, if Lúcio didn’t go to the fair at all, Hanzo wouldn’t be able to prove Genji had anything to do with it, and he’d probably still ask Jesse out. But that would make Genji a coward. What Lúcio needed right now was his honest opinion and support, and manipulating the DJ’s social life just to avoid the embarrassment of being rejected was far from helpful.

“Of course! I don’t want you to miss out, it’s gonna be amazing!” Genji smiled, imagining the lights and the games and the food. Then the Shimada faltered, clearing his throat.

“But don’t wait until then to speak to Hana and Jamie. I know you’re afraid of upsetting them, but it can’t get better unless you talk about what’s bothering you. What have you told them so far in terms of the health department?” He asked, trying to sound encouraging. Scolding Lúcio certainly hadn’t worked, so Genji would have to take a different approach to sorting this out.

“Uh… What area of health are we talking about?” Lúcio asked sheepishly, sounding very guilty.

“Mental? Physical?” Genji suggested, kind of amused, before he reminded himself now wasn’t the time to fawn, no matter how cute the DJ was.

“Well, I told them about… Uh… The eating…? Maybe?” Lúcio mumbled, sounding anything but truthful.

Genji blinked. “Lúcio.” He stated calmly, trying to keep the annoyance from edging his voice.

“I’m sorry.” Was the reply, and it was painful to hear. Genji closed his eyes tightly, trying to put himself in the DJ’s position. The Shimada didn’t understand why it was so difficult, but he wanted to. Genji knew what was wrong, but he couldn’t wrap his head around how it affected Lúcio so badly.

“Tonight can you please go and have dinner with Jamison and Mako? Please, they’re your family, you need to talk to them.” He said, practically begging.

“I don’t want them to worry.” Lúcio murmured, and Genji paused again. He wondered if this was what Hanzo used to do. Hide in his room, scared of being a burden. But Genji knew for a fact Hanzo would never talk to anyone about something like this. He’d never depend on anyone. It was kind of flattering to Genji, to know that Lúcio needed him. It was also pretty intimidating.

“They’re _already_ worried. If you tell them what’s wrong, they can help. _Please_ , Lúcio.” The Shimada turned to his computer, noticing with a roll of his eyes that Hana, of course, was online and in a game.

“Okay, I- I’ll try. Uh, what- what about Hana?” Lúcio asked, impeccably timed as Genji sent her a message asking if she was streaming.

“You need to have a real conversation with her. She’s not taking things seriously, she doesn’t understand. Make sure she’s giving you her full attention, and just please talk about why you’re finding it difficult to be friends. You shouldn’t keep protecting her feelings, Lúcio. She has too much power over you.” He replied, glaring at the response from Hana, which was of course a yes. She really had no idea. ‘well can u like, stop?’ he sent, before returning his attention to the now silent phone in his hand.

“Lúcio?” He prompted, blinking. There was nothing for a few more seconds, before he heard the DJ sigh softly.

“I’ll send her a message after dinner. I- um- Thank you. Genji. You’re- You’re really, uh-” Lúcio paused, and Genji bit his lip. “You’re really g- too good to me.” The Brazilian finished, and Genji grinned at how flustered he sounded.

“You’re important, Lúcio. I care.” The Shimada replied, and a glance in the mirror next to his closet told him he that at least one of them was definitely blushing.

“Uh, th-thanks. I- I um- I care about you too okaytalktoyoulaterbye.” Lúcio said in a rush, and then the phone went silent. Genji chuckled softly, grinning down at the device. It was so difficult to not adore Lúcio. Seriously, could he be any less cute? This was getting ridiculous… Genji blinked when his computer dinged, and turned back to the conversation with Hana.

‘lol wtf no bro ppl r watching im not gonna leave in the middle of a stream??’ The message grated on Genji, but he closed his eyes tightly, refraining from sending her a reply explaining exactly why she should drop everything immediately. He wasn’t going to risk doxxing Lúcio, not after that phone call.

‘l8r 2nite then? we gotta talk’ he sent, before exiting the window. He wasn’t going to sit around waiting for Hana to reply, he knew she’d either just agree and get back to her game, or send a million questions for details. Either way, she wasn’t going to stop streaming anytime soon.

Standing up, Genji stretched slightly, feeling as if all his energy had completely drained away. He glanced at his phone, then pressed play on his music. The Shimada was still, soaking in the chilled tunes. No points for guessing the artist of the track, but if a hint was needed, Genji had all his songs downloaded. Every single one, and he loved them all.

Making a single spin in the center of his room, Genji flew his arms out, then brought them to his face, rubbing his eyes. With a sigh, he collapsed on his bed, placing his phone on his bedside table and rolling over to face the wall. Letting the music wash over him, he breathed in deeply.

What an ordeal. Hana would hopefully stop her stream early, or at least break so she could talk to him. He didn’t know what he’d say, but she needed to get pulled back down to reality. And maybe later Genji could ask Jamison about what exactly happened at the park. Before they’d started to tease Lúcio.

Actually, what were they even teasing him about anyway…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof


	8. Lime Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lucios got some talking to do, we believe in him

Lúcio took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. He heard a deep voice call, then there was silence, before the footsteps fluttered down the hallway.

The door opened slowly, and Lúcio glanced down at himself. 

Oh god, he wasn’t prepared at all.

He should have put on new clothes, and brought something to eat- The DJ wanted to turn away, run right back up to his room and start this over, but Jamison was already there.

The Australian stood still, looking shocked, before he flew forward, wrapping his arms around Lúcio as the DJ’s face was squashed against his chest. Lúcio paused, then returned the hug, feeling tears pricking his eyes.

He’d missed this. He’d missed it so, so much. When he’d had a bad day, when he was on the brink of tears, Lúcio could just come downstairs and hug Jamie and things weren’t so bad anymore. He’d barely noticed when he stopped doing that, but now he had it back he felt awful that he’d ever let it go. When was the last time he hugged Jamison? Painted his nails? Baked muffins with him? Helped him with homework? It all seemed lifetimes ago, and realizing that was what made the tears overflow, and suddenly Lúcio was sobbing again.

“J-Jamie?” He mumbled, burying his face into the taller boy’s shirt. He felt Jamison’s arms tighten around him, and it made him so happy, but he couldn’t stop crying.

“I’m sorry.” The Australian murmured, and Lúcio didn’t understand. He pulled back, blinking up at the blonde.

“What for?” He asked, wiping at his eye absentmindedly. Jamison frowned down at him.

“I-I shouldn’ta made fun o’ you. In the park. I didn’t- ” Jamie paused, glancing away. “Who am I kiddin’? It’s not just that. We- We haven’t been talkin’ a lot recently, aye? Somethin’ changed, and we haven’t been as close, but I- I didn’t do anything to try f-fix it.” He murmured, hands on Lúcio’s shoulders. The DJ shook his head.

“No, it’s my fault. I’ve been- I should have come to talk to you, I just-” The Brazilian paused, and it was like there were claws closing around his throat, choking the words before they could escape him. The worries came flooding back, and he felt the overwhelming urge to just run away. He shouldn’t be doing this, Jamison didn’t need this, he had enough to worry about without Lúcio’s problems hanging over him. He was wrong to come here, this wouldn’t fix anything, Lúcio was just going to be an annoyance-

Genji’s words echoed in the back of his mind. ’They’re _already_ worried’, ‘You deserve a lot more than you think’, ‘I care’.

“Lú?” Jamison murmured softly, and Lúcio blinked.

Jamie squeezed his shoulders. “It’s okay. You can tell me after dinner.”

Lúcio nodded.

~

It was the same thing. Lúcio realized just how much he missed it. Mako took one look at him and then he was engulfed in another hug, and it took all the DJ’s strength not to start crying again. He loved them both, so, so much. They were always going to be there for him, why had he forced himself to stay away? Mako had lived with Jamie for years, why did Lúcio ever think there was a problem the man couldn’t fix?

Dinner was just how it used to be. Lúcio cut up the vegetables, Mako was in charge of the stove, and Jamie set the table and tasted the ingredients. They made jokes, laughter filling the air along with old tunes from the radio. Jamison asked Lúcio about Genji, this time genuinely interested and encouraging. The DJ blushed and stared down at the cutting board with a non-committal mumble about video games, but when Jamie moved on Lúcio looked up to see Mako smiling at him, amused, and he had to avert his gaze.

When they actually ate dinner, Lúcio sat in the same chair he always did. It felt so familiar, but in reality, overtime these things had become nothing more than distant memories. It was nice to be back.

Mako asked about school, and Lúcio told him he was excited to meet the new history teacher when the semester kicked off. Jamie said he hated history, and they just laughed. Lúcio liked laughing. It felt so good. Why was it normally so difficult? The only times he’d genuinely been so happy recently was with Genji, compared to when he used to be too distracted laughing with Hana and Jamie to think about all the things that bothered him now.

After dinner Jamie and Lúcio helped clean the dishes, then Mako said he had to do some work and the two teens went to Jamison’s room. It was different to how Lúcio remembered. Messier. There was paper all over the desk, and small piles of random objects that seemed to have no importance whatsoever.

Oh.

Jamie was hoarding again.

Lúcio had been so caught up in his own problems he’d never considered this might happen. He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself.

“We need to clean your room some time.” The Brazilian stated casually. Guilt flashed in Jamison’s eyes.

“Uh, yeah- You know me, I- I love shiny stuff.” He mumbled, looking away. Lúcio closed his eyes, thinking.

“I think I have an eating disorder.” He said, sitting on the bed. Jamison blinked. He paused, then grinned at Lúcio, but the DJ just stared at him. Jamie’s face fell.

“Shit, Lú.” He whispered, sitting down next to Lúcio. The Brazilian felt the panic flare up again, but he forced himself to go on.

“I haven’t been okay for a while, and I probably need therapy, but I’m trying to start by being honest with you, because you deserve to know.” He said blankly, willing himself not to cry. Genji’s voice was somewhere in the back of his mind, telling him he was doing great, but it wasn’t quite the same as actually having him there. What the DJ wouldn’t give for a hug from Genji right now…

“Okay. I- I do wanna know. And- I do wanna help, Lú.” Jamison said, resting a hand on Lúcio’s shoulder. It was comforting enough for him to go on.

“I don’t know when it started, but I’ve just been feeling really bad about myself and my life for- for maybe- a few months? I don’t- A little bit before school ended, I think.” He paused, hands gripping the blanket underneath him. Jamison squeezed his shoulder, and Lúcio continued.

“But I haven’t been eating right, and I hate talking to Hana, and I- I’ve been pretending that I’m okay when I- I’m really not.” The DJ felt the tears overflow, but he didn’t do anything to stop them. What was the point? It was too late to try hiding anything now.

“Does Genji help?” Jamie’s question took the Brazilian by surprise, and he blinked at the other boy. The blonde shrugged, glancing away.

“Well, you talk about him a lot, and when you do, you- you look happy. Really happy.” He mumbled.

Lúcio paused. He took a second to really think about Genji. His smile, his jokes… His words. When he talked to Lúcio, the DJ felt important. Maybe Genji thought he was.

_‘You deserve a lot more than you think,’_

If Genji thought Lúcio deserved more, maybe he _did_. After all, the Shimada wasn’t wrong about a lot of things. Maybe he was right about this.

Maybe Lúcio was worth it.

“He does help. He helps a lot. But- but I don’t want to have to rely on him. I want to be happy without him. I don’t- I don’t want to stop being friends, but I- I want to be me again. Not that- He doesn’t change me, I mean, it’s just- Hana sometimes- I’m not- I’m not a different person, I just-” Lúcio cut himself off, struggling to put it into words. Who was he? Himself? Someone else? Just a little different than he used to be? He didn’t know anymore. What was his identity? Just Jamie’s brother? Hana’s weird friend who plays healer? Genji’s annoyance?

Was Lúcio just an attachment of other people’s identities?

It felt like it.

When did things change? Why was he so defined by others? Why did he put his whole life in their hands? He didn’t even know he’d done it. With Hana it only became apparent recently. Jamie had always been an influence, but never overbearing. They did have power over him though. They made decisions for him, even when he was the one who said it, they’d still chosen for him. They manipulated him. It wasn’t even intentional. He’d just put his trust in them, and they didn’t realize how important it was.

Lúcio had even given all his trust to Genji, too. The only difference was that Genji was someone who knew what that trust was. He knew the importance. Hana and Jamie would, too, if Lúcio had told them. He hadn’t. No wonder he wasn’t happy.

“Lúcio.” The DJ blinked. Jamie was staring at him, worried. “None of this is your fault.” The Australian murmured. Lúcio felt fresh tears prick his eyes.

“It feels like it is.” He whispered, looking down. It hurt to see Jamison’s eyes. They were filled with worry, and pain.

“I promise you it’s not. We’re- We’re gonna fix this. It might take a while, but it’s gonna get better.” The sincerity in Jamie’s voice was what made the tears spill over. Lúcio sobbed, and Jamison pulled him close.

“It’s not that simple.” The Brazilian mumbled against his chest, relaxing into the hug. Jamie shrugged.

“Good thing we don’t quit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sadface


	9. Fallen Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy

Genji laid on his bed, staring upwards lazily. There was soft sunlight falling through the crack in his curtains, and he breathed in and out slowly as he studied the patterns imprinted in the white ceiling.

Well, he did it.

He talked to Hana, that is. Last night. She messaged him saying she’d stopped streaming, and he double checked to make sure she actually had, before he mentally prepared himself for the challenge ahead.

Then he set some ground rules.

She was going to take it seriously. She was going to think about what Genji said, then she was going to talk to Lúcio. She wasn’t going to let any of it get on her stream, and she wasn’t going to leave halfway through.

Hana agreed to the rules. Genji promised himself he wasn’t going to be nice to her. She needed the truth, or else she wouldn’t change. Someone had to pull Hana back to the harsh reality of her and Lúcio’s friendship, why not it be Genji?

He didn’t tell her Lúcio’s perspective. He had no right to, and even if he did, he’d probably get it wrong. But he told her everything he’d observed when he saw her and Lúcio together. From the physical discomfort the DJ displayed when Hana snapped at him, to the way his eyes were dull and empty when she was telling a funny story. Genji had watched him looking so unhappy and blank. It wasn’t even just with Hana, it was basically all the time.

Genji knew what you had to go through to look like that. 

Hana clearly didn’t.

Whatever. He told her. About when he witnessed Lúcio eat a few bites of food before pushing his plate away. When the boy just didn’t respond to Hana’s questions, but she never noticed. He told her all of it.

Genji thinks he got to her. She video called him. She looked horrified. She said she didn’t know. For once, there was genuine emotion in Hana’s eyes. She wasn’t a plastic picture, she was actually concerned.

It was nice to see her more human.

She said she would talk to Lúcio. Genji hadn’t heard much, but he got a message from the DJ this morning.

‘Thank you.’

He was taking it as a good sign.

“Brother!” There was a knock on Genji’s door. The Shimada closed his eyes tightly, feeling too exhausted to move, but he pushed his blankets off anyway.

“Yes?” He called back, yawning as he sat up. His door opened, and Hanzo blinked at him from the hallway. “What?” Genji mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. His brother paused, then walked into his room, softly closing the door behind him before coming to sit next to Genji. There was a moment of quiet, before Hanzo spoke.

“I am worried about today.” He confessed, and Genji blinked at him.

“You? Worried?” He asked, grinning slightly. His brother turned to glare daggers at him, and the boy held his hands up in defense. “Don’t get mad, I’m just surprised. You’re never worried about anything.”

Hanzo sighed softly, shaking his head. “Well, I am worried now. About today. I- I do not wish to tell Jesse how I feel.” He stared at the ground, blushing slightly. Genji put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, we’re in the same boat. Both of us are doing the same thing, remember. Just different people. I know Jesse likes you, okay? It’s really obvious.” He assured. It was true, the cowboy’s feelings were incredibly easy to see, and honestly Hanzo wasn’t as mysterious as he thought, but neither of them seemed to notice the other’s feelings.

Hanzo blinked at Genji. “But what if he rejects me?” He asked, eyes still filled with worry. Genji shrugged.

“Either you stay as just friends, or you don’t. If Jesse really values what you two have he won’t let one slip up ruin it.” He murmured gently, smiling. Hanzo seemed to relax a little, but he still didn’t look completely convinced.

“I hope you are right.” He said, looking back down.

“You forget, I am always right, Anija!” Genji replied, nudging Hanzo with his elbow. The elder Shimada scoffed, shoving Genji back.

“That is as likely as the sun setting in the east!” He exclaimed, grinning. Genji laughed, shaking his head.

“Whatever. I’m still right about this.” He assured, serious undertones in his voice. Hanzo rolled his eyes, but he nodded.

“I believe you.” He murmured earnestly. Genji smiled.

“Great. I’m gonna take a shower, I have to ask Lena where to meet later.” He said, mostly to himself, as he stood. Hanzo huffed slightly, but simply got up and followed Genji out of the room.

As his brother turned away to go to the kitchen, Genji sighed. He wandered down the corridor to the bathroom, beginning to take off his shirt. He wasn’t really prepared to confess his feelings either, but he’d already agreed to it.

Well, whatever.

~~

“Genji! Hurry up, we are late!” Hanzo yelled down the hallway. Genji blinked at himself in the mirror, biting his lip, before he shook his head. It was going to be fine.

“Coming!” He called back, grabbing his phone. A message from Lúcio.

‘We’re here.’

It seemed… Strange. Different. Empty. Genji frowned, shaking his head. It was just a regular message, he was looking for a meaning that wasn’t there. The Shimada tried to pull himself together, racing out of his room and past Hanzo out the front door. His brother closed it firmly, and Genji went over to the backseat of the car.

“Son, you are going to be safe?” Sojiro asked. Genji rolled his eyes as he got in.

“Yes, it is just a fair. Not much different from the New Years festivals we used to host.” He insisted, pulling at his seatbelt. His father scoffed.

“Thank God you never got old enough to actually participate in those parties.” He said quietly, probably to himself. Genji spluttered.

“What?” He asked, blinking. The conversation was interrupted by Hanzo getting into the passenger seat next to Sojiro, and the man took the opportunity to ignore Genji’s question, simply starting the car. Genji huffed at that, glaring at his phone as he pulled out his headphones.

“Otōto, do you have enough money?” Hanzo asked. Genji raised an eyebrow.

“What, do you think I spent it all?” He asked, crossing his arms. His brother stared at him in the rear view mirror. Genji smiled.

“For once, I didn’t. I do have some self control, Anija.” He defended. His brother huffed a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Of course. I never doubted that.” He said sarcastically, and Genji pouted. Sojiro laughed, glancing at Hanzo.

“Have I ever told you how much I love it when you make fun of your brother?” He asked. Genji groaned.

“The balance has been shifted! If Jesse makes you mean to me maybe he’s not such a good idea after all.” He mumbled, but he couldn’t stop himself grinning. Hanzo scoffed, shaking his head.

“If you think it’s bad then I can trust it completely!” He retorted, and Genji laughed.

“Wise words, Anija.”

~~

The first thing Genji noticed as they pulled up at the fairgrounds were the lights. Neon colours flashing at him, huge signs with blaring letters, and a seemingly endless line of LEDs lighting up every stall…

The second thing he noticed was the noise. People chatting, mostly teens and a few families because it was still light. Games beeping, and a few children screaming from the admittedly tame rides. Not to mention the music, but it didn’t quite drown out the sounds from various food stalls, as well as the air pump for a bouncy castle.

The third, and definitely most important thing that Genji noticed, was Lúcio. He was right there, standing at a candyfloss stall with Jamison and Hana, and he was _glowing_. Bright eyes, brilliant smile, and he was genuinely paying attention and laughing along with his friends. Genji would have stood staring for hours if Hanzo hadn’t nudged him, saying something about meeting up with Lena and Fareeha. That just about snapped the boy out of his trance, and he managed to walk up to his friends and greet them like a normal person.

“Genji!” Hana yelled, even though he was literally less than two feet away. He twitched slightly at her volume, but was still happy to accept a hug from her as she almost squeezed the life out of him. 

“Yes, hello, Hana.” Genji laughed slightly, kind of surprised at her enthusiasm. The girl just hugged him tighter for a second more, before pulling back to rest her hands on his shoulders. He blinked at her, confused, but she just nodded, then let him go. 

“Crikey, I always forget how green it is.” Jamison grumbled, glaring up at Genji’s hair. The Shimada smiled, shaking his head.

“Green is superior, Jamison. If I do not stand out for my brain, my looks must be somewhat interesting.” He defended, smirking. Jamison laughed that maniacal laugh of his, nodding.

“Fair enough, I s’pose.” He agreed. Genji rolled his eyes, grinning as he turned to Lúcio. The DJ was staring at him, looking slightly dazed.

“Lúcio, how are you?” Genji asked, not sure what to do. The Brazilian blinked, then stepped forward to wrap his arms around the Shimada. Genji blinked for a second, then hugged him back.

“I’m brilliant.” Lúcio breathed, and Genji felt tingly with the DJ’s breath against his ear.

It felt like barely any time passed at all before Lúcio pulled away, blushing slightly. Genji felt his cheeks were hot too, but he tried to push it aside.

“So, what should we go do first?” He asked, turning to the others. They were grinning at him and Lúcio, and Genji glanced away. Hana giggled.

“I saw a few games I wouldn’t mind playing.” She said, beginning to set off away from the fair entrance. Genji breathed a sigh of relief as the focus was pulled away from him, but from the corner of his eye he could see Lúcio still looked flustered. The Shimaa grabbed his hand.

“Come on! I bet I can win more prizes than Hana!” He said, grinning brightly, before hurrying after the girl. Lúcio laughed.

~~

Lúcio seemed a lot happier. He joined in the games, he made playful jabs at Hana, he messed around with their candyfloss… He was just more himself. Genji liked it.

“Sombra said they’re here.” Hana said, tapping at her phone.

“They are at the entrance?” Hanzo asked, and Genji could hear the nerves in his voice. No-one else seemed to notice it, though. A few minutes ago the younger teens had run into the older ones, and since then Hanzo hadn’t really talked to anyone. Lena, on the other hand, was very enthusiastically chatting to Lúcio. Apparently they both really missed their home countries, and Genji was kind of annoyed that he hadn’t thought to talk about his home to Lúcio beforehand. Then again, he didn’t have many happy memories of Hanamura that weren’t tainted.

Now, knowing his brother was still nervous, Genji felt something was off. Would Hanzo approve of Lúcio? Obviously he should, the DJ had been nothing but polite to him, but maybe he’d still think the Brazilian wasn’t good enough. Genji knew that even if Hanzo didn’t like Lúcio he wouldn’t stop wanting to date the boy, but it wouldn’t be very nice to know his brother was judging him all the time. It wouldn’t be very nice for Lúcio either…

“Right over there.” Fareeha spoke, and Genji followed her gaze. Sombra was already walking towards them, but Jesse looked kind of awed as he blinked around at the fair.

Genji glanced at Hanzo, then yelled out to the cowboy, breaking into a sprint.

“Jesse!” He yelled, tackling him in a hug. The American laughed slightly, stepping back. He said something about welcomes as Genji pulled back, but the Shimada just excitedly watched as Jesse looked past him, blinking at the group. He let him and Hanzo stare at each other for a couple moments, before he got bored of it. 

“You’re supposed to be winning prizes, Cowboy!” Genji grinned, grabbing Jesse’s hand to drag him back to the group. He met eyes with Lúcio, and his smile widened even though the nerves crept back.

Genji let go of Jesse’s hand and linked his arm with Lúcio, deciding to cherish the closeness. This chance could be taken away from him as soon as he told the DJ how he felt, so he might as well take it now. He glanced at Hanzo, and his brother just raised an eyebrow at him. Genji shrugged slightly, and Hanzo sighed.

“I will text you when we get to ten prizes.” He muttered, and he started off towards a game. Jesse followed him, smiling. Genji watched the cowboy. He was like a dog, really. Puppy love, as they said. Lúcio broke through his thoughts.

“Wanna check out the mini roller coasters?” He asked. Genji grinned.

“Sure.”

~~~

Genji groaned.

“Do I have to?” He whined, frowning at Hanzo. The older Shimada nodded firmly.

“You agreed. It is the price you must pay.” He said, glaring at Genji. The boy sighed, then turned away.

“I’ll be back.” He muttered.

Genji felt like there was a storm in his heart, he didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t. He couldn’t ruin their friendship, Lúcio didn’t deserve to have it all fall apart because of dumb feelings. Genji shouldn’t have agreed to it. He was just a dumb, arrogant, stupid, horrible idiot who thought he was worth something. He’s not. He can’t do this, it’s not fair.

The Shimada breathed deeply, trying to calm down, but he felt tears pricking his eyes. Why was this happening? Why now? He’d been fine barely five minutes ago, but now everything was falling apart.

Genji hurried through the fair, passing stalls and games and pushing through people. He couldn't breathe, he wasn’t okay.

Going behind a food truck, the Shimada blinked. There was a tree with a rope tied around it, keeping the truck secure. But there was no-one here, and it was quieter. Going to the trunk, Genji leaned against it, then slid down so he was sitting on the ground. What was he doing? Why had he agreed to that _stupid bet?_ God, he was an idiot.

The Shimada put his head in his hands, trying to stop the tears. He didn’t even know why he was crying _now_. He _should_ be crying because he got rejected five minutes from now, not because he has to do something he already agreed to do days ago. He was a coward for hiding.

Sniffing, Genji wiped at his eyes. He sat staring at the dark street outside the fairgrounds, trying to calm down. He should go find Lúcio. He should be honest. He should get it over and done with, then he can cry all he wants.

Genji tried to get up, but he just couldn’t bring himself to move. Why not just say it over text later? It’d save him the embarrassment of crying in public - well, crying more than he has so far.

The Shimada didn’t know what to do. He just sat there.

“Genji?”

If there was a god, they hated him.

“Lúcio.” The Shimada replied, not moving his gaze from the street. The DJ paused, then sat down next to Genji.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured. Genji shrugged. Lúcio hummed. “Life just getting you down?” He asked. Genji shrugged again.

Lúcio was silent for a few minutes.

“Well, someone really smart told me recently that when you hide how you feel, bad things happen.” He said gently. Genji wanted to smile, but he couldn’t.

“How do you know they’re smart?” He asked, resting his chin on his knees.

“Their advice worked. Maybe you should try it.” Lúcio suggested. Genji sighed, finally turning to face the DJ.

“I can’t.” He murmured.

“Of course you can. I want to help.” Lúcio replied earnestly. Genji blinked, and there was silence.

“Why were you crying?”

“I don’t want to ruin it.” Genji looked away.

“Ruin what?”

“Stuff.” The Shimada mumbled. Lúcio giggled quietly.

“Tell me.” He whispered. Genji glanced at him again, taking a deep breath.

“I- I really-” He paused, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.

“I really, really, really, _really_ like you. As- As more than a friend. And I know I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I can’t keep hiding the truth, and if this ruins our friendship that’s okay, just tell me and I can move to a different state.” He said, staring at Lúcio. The DJ paused.

“I- I don’t want you to move away.” He murmured. Genji blinked. It seemed like a good sign, but he wasn’t sure.

“But what am I to you?” The Shimada asked.

“Everything.” Lúcio whispered, and before Genji knew it the Brazilian was kissing him.

It took Genji a second, but eventually his brain kicked in and he kissed back. It was tame, just the soft connection of lips, but it felt like electricity was shooting through him, sparks and flames and all the fiery things setting his soul alight.

Eventually Lúcio pulled back. There were stars in his eyes. Genji breathed heavily, only just remembering he did indeed need air. They stayed in stunned silence for a couple minutes more, before Lúcio grinned.

“Go on a date with me tomorrow.” It was more of a demand than a question, but Genji just nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nice


	10. Summer Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> date time! good stuff

Lúcio giggled. He couldn’t help it, he felt so happy, bubbling with energy.

“Bloody hell, will you calm down?” Jamison asked, but he was smiling too.

“Sorry,” The DJ said, trying to keep still, but he was still ecstatic. “I just really can’t believe it.” He murmured, grinning at himself in the mirror. Jamie rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I noticed. How did you say it happened again? Last night seems so long ago...” He muttered, tugging at Lúcio’s hair some more. The Brazilian whined, but quickly got distracted.

“Well, I went looking for him, remember? And he bumped into me, and we went to get some popcorn, and then we talked for a bit and he confessed. It was a lot simpler than I thought it would be.” He wasn’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t going to ruin his boyfriend’s reputation.

Gosh, that word. Lúcio had a boyfriend. _Genji_ was his _boyfriend_. And it was great.

Sure, they hadn’t really been together long, but all that mattered to Lúcio was that Genji liked him back.

“Right. And now you’re going on a date.” Jamison added, opening a drawer to look at the DJ’s jewelry.

“Yes. What are you looking for?” Lúcio asked, poking at his newly tied up hair. Anxiety was quietly nibbling at him, but he was trying to stay optimistic. Things were looking up for once, he didn’t have to worry. His first appointment with the therapist Mako had found was on Saturday. It would have been booked for sooner, but this way it could be weekly and not mess with school when that started. Apart from that though, Lúcio was also really happy with Hana. She’d talked to him yesterday morning, and at the fair he’d actually been able to have a good time with her. It was such a relief to have things back to how they used to be.

“Aha! Perfect!” Jamie said, holding up a small green bottle. Lúcio blinked.

“Gosh, I haven’t seen that in forever.” He murmured, taking the nail polish. Jamison giggled.

“I know. Used to love this stuff, the both of us. Shame we stopped wearing it.” He murmured, looking at the other bottles in the drawer sadly. After a second though, he brightened. “But if you’re going on a date you should dress to impress!”

Lúcio rolled his eyes, but he didn’t object when Jamie pushed his swivel chair to the desk and sat down beside him.

“Alrighty Lú, green nails coming right up! Hey, maybe we could find you some pins for that nice jacket you like…”

~~

Lúcio pushed open the door, stepping into the café as the bell dinged above him. A quick glance around told him it wasn’t all too busy, with just a couple of people scattered around, and he quickly made his way over to an empty booth in the corner and sitting down. He’d brought his backpack, with a gift for Genji. He wasn’t sure how well it would go down, but he’d forced himself to bring it.

Pulling out his phone, Lúcio messed around with a game Hana suggested he download. It was mostly puzzles and whatnot, because apparently it was ‘suited for a nerd’. He didn’t notice the bell dinging, only looking up when someone was suddenly sitting in front of him.

The newcomer was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a green neckerchief, and his hair seemed brighter than ever, same as his pearly teeth.

“Lúcio.” Genji said, eyes shining. The DJ rolled his eyes fondly.

“Genji.” He replied, smiling. The Shimada huffed a laugh.

“Fuck, this is real. I- I was kinda worried that- that-”

“That you made it up?” Lúcio finished, raising an eyebrow. Genji nodded, blushing.

“Yeah. I just- Fuck, why am _I_ the one who’s flustered?” He mumbled, looking down. Lúcio giggled.

“Because you’re adorable.” He said firmly. Genji went redder, staring at Lúcio.

“Jesus, when did you get so confident?” He breathed. The DJ felt his cheeks get hot at that, and he glanced away.

“Is it bad?” He asked, panicking slightly. Genji shook his head furiously.

“No, it’s- You’re, um- I-” He paused, unable to finish his sentence. Lúcio blinked at him, tilting his head.

“I’m what?” He asked, and Genji seemed to relax.

“Right, yeah, there it is.” He murmured, mostly to himself. Lúcio just got more confused.

“There what is?” He asked, leaning forward. Genji chuckled slightly.

“The innocence.” He replied, pushing himself up from the seat. Before Lúcio could say anything, he started walking away. “I’ll get us some food.”

And the DJ didn’t find out what he’d wanted to say.

~~

“Have I told you how cute you are?” Genji asked, and Lúcio nearly choked on his lemonade. It took a few seconds of struggling to swallow the drink before he breathed out heavily.

“Maybe once or twice.” He replied, blinking at Genji. The Shimada giggled.

“Good. It’s true. You’re a constant ray of sunshine.” He said, holding his hand out. Lúcio reached over the table to take it nervously.

“What brought this on?” He murmured, blushing. Genji shook his head, smiling.

“I don’t need a reason,” He paused, then blinked. “Oh! I have something for you.” He added, letting go of Lúcio’s hand to look in his backpack. The DJ faltered, then nodded.

“I have something for you too.” He murmured, unzipping his own bag. He glanced over at Genji, then grabbed the heart shaped pin.

“Okay okay, you first!” Genji said, grinning brightly. Lúcio paused, holding the rainbow badge in his hand for a second, before he held it out to Genji.

“I know it’s kind of, uh- weird, I guess, but I just- pride’s important to me, you know, so I-” He stopped when the Shimada took it from his hand, and the DJ risked a glance at his face. Genji was smiling at the pin, and it was an adoring, genuine smile, and he was soon directing it at Lúcio himself.

“I told you, you’re really cute.” He said smugly, pinning the badge to his chest. Lúcio blushed, glancing away.

“Shut up.” He mumbled, and Genji chuckled.

“You cannot deny the truth. But, um- here.” He presented his hands to Lúcio, and the Brazilian blinked at the gift. A flower crown, of pale pink and white roses that looked incredibly real, but when he reached out and touched them they were felt. Genji blinked at him.

“They’re fake, so they last longer. I- I can get you a real one if you’d like, but I just-” Lúcio cut him off.

“No, this is- it's beautiful. Why’d you get it for me?” He asked, tilting his head. Genji paused, blushing.

“I was listening to some of your music, and one of my favourite songs is ‘Daisy Chains and-”

“-Flower Crowns’.” Lúcio finished, smiling. Genji nodded, looking flustered.

“Yeah. Um, may I?” He asked, glancing up at Lúcio’s hair. The DJ giggled.

“Of course.” He murmured, leaning over. Genji reached up and placed the crown on his head, and Lúcio took a breath as the Shimada blinked at him.

“Like I said. Ray of sunshine.” Genji murmured, shaking his head softly. Lúcio blushed, eyes widening.

“Y-yeah, um- let’sgototheparknowokay?” He asked in a rush, standing up and quickly trying to put on his backpack. Genji laughed, standing up as well.

“Sure, if you want.” He said, eyes sparkling. Lúcio didn’t respond, trying to ignore his pounding heart.

~~

Lúco sighed softly, smiling around at the trees. The sun was filtering through the leaves, dappling the ground with shadows. They were sat against an oak, comfortable silence settled between them.

It was nice. To just have some time to think, and consider.

Barely a couple of days ago, Lúcio had been anything but okay. His brain was constantly a fuzz of confusion and hurt and all sorts of bad emotions. He’d been upset with his friends, his family, and himself. He knew he still wasn’t at 100% now, but he felt better. Much better. Things were fixed. Almost. It was going to all work out.

If you asked him, he’d pin that all on Genji. He’d tell you the Shimada had come into his life and mended everything. It wasn’t really true, though. Lúcio had made his own way through the tough times, and Genji had really only been a guide. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t helped a lot, though.

“Your school starts up again soon.” Genji murmured, interrupting Lúcio’s thoughts. The DJ blinked, glancing over at him.

“Yeah.” He replied, a sinking feeling in his gut. He’d forgotten. Genji didn’t go to school, he’d have so much free time, while Lúcio would be stuck for a few more years.

“I wish I could try a public school.” Genji sighed softly, tilting his head back to look at the sky. Lúcio hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, why can’t you?” He asked, blinking at the Shimada. Genji paused, then returned his gaze.

“My father wouldn’t want me to.” He said, shrugging. Lúcio raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you never know until you ask.” He reasoned, bringing his knees up to his chin. Genji looked away, thinking for a moment.

“It is worth a shot.” He decided, shrugging again. Lúcio smiled.

“I’d love to spend every day with you.” He said, before faltering. “Shoot, that sounded creepy. Sorry. I meant-”

Genji chuckled. “I know what you meant.” He assured, taking the DJ’s hand. Lúcio blushed, looking away.

“Sorry.” He said again, and Genji leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I forgive you.” He said cheekily. Lúcio scoffed, smiling.

“How’s Hanzo?” The DJ asked, changing the subject. Genji noticed the topic switch, of course he did, but he just smiled.

“He’s great. Him and Jesse are certainly working out. Took them long enough, really.” The Shimada said, snickering. Lúcio nodded.

“Somehow they work together, huh? They’re really not very similar, honestly.” He murmured. Genji grinned.

“Yes, but that’s why it’s wonderful. My stuck up samurai brother fell for a rowdy cowboy. It’s a perfect love story.” He giggled. Lúcio smiled.

“Sure is.” He murmured, resting his head on Genji’s shoulder. He felt the Shimada tense for a second, then relax completely. It send shivers through the DJ to know that he could do that to Genji.

“So tell me more about what happened with Jamison and Mako.” Genji said, squeezing Lúcio’s hand. The Brazilian sighed softly.

“Mako decided to find me a therapist, so I have an appointment in the weekend. It’s… It’s kind of scary, you know? I don’t really know if I’ll be able to tell them anything.” He mumbled, looking down. Genji shifted slightly, shuffling closer.

“You don’t have to. Not for the first session, at least. You can heal at your own pace, Lúcio.” He murmured. The Brazilian nodded slightly.

“I know. I just wish it wasn’t so intimidating.” He said quietly. Genji hummed.

“Well, I’m here for you. You’re getting better already.” He assured. Lúcio closed his eyes, smiling.

“Good to know.” He breathed. There was a pause, both of them settling into the comforting silence, before Genji broke it.

“Have you thought about dying your hair pink?” He asked. Lúcio snorted, pulling away.

“Way to ruin the moment.” He muttered, but he was grinning.

“Hey, it’s a real question! You’d look adorable.” Genji defended, letting go of Lúcio’s hand to cross his arms. The DJ rolled his eyes.

“If I did I’d never hear the end of it from Hana. Why don’t _you_ dye _your_ hair pink?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Genji shrugged.

“Because I look weird in pink. Hot, yes, of course, but it’s not really my colour.” He said, and Lúcio smiled.

“Fair enough, I guess. You’d probably look strange with any other colour hair, honestly. Green suits you.”

Genji giggled, winking at the DJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayye we made it!
> 
> thanks for reading, hope it wasn't too cringey. i currently don't have any plans for another fic in this au with a lucio or genji pov, but they'll probably be mentioned somewhere by other charas.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comments appreciated, enjoy ;p


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